(Not So) Normal Days
by Kamen Rider Bushido
Summary: OK, this here is basically a retelling of Kamen Rider Days; minus Rider stuff and whatnot. Things are just a little more normal, for the most part.
1. The New Kid

**-(NOT SO) NORMAL DAYS-**

**Chapter 1 - New Kid in Town**

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! **

Kotonoha moaned in her sleep as she reached for the alarm, hitting the top as she turned it off. Feeling a pair of strong arms around her, she turned to see Ryūji sleeping peacefully with the girl in his embrace; he was purring like a kitten with a small smile on his face. While Kotonoha was happy Ryūji was enjoying his sleep, school could not wait.

"Ryūji-kun, time to wake up," Kotonoha tried to call as she stroked his cheek before pulling on it gently.

"Harder, baby..." he grinned in his sleep.

Kotonoha sighed, but smirked before whispering, "Ryūji-kun, the baby's awake..."

"Ba-Baby!-?" Ryūji cried as he snapped out of his sleep and looking down at Kotonoha.

The brunette winked and shot him a raspberry, "Just kidding~!"

"Oh, you're a bad girl, Koto-chan," Ryūji frowned before grinning, "C'mere." And he pressed himself on top of Kotonoha to share a kiss that was gladly returned. "Morning."

"Good morning, Ryūji-kun," Kotonoha returned with a blush. "Now come on, we're going to be late if you don't get up."

"Alright."

* * *

It was a normal day like any other for the citizens of Sakakino; men and women going to work, police patrolling the neighborhoods, clerks minding their stores and shops, and kids going to school. This was the kind of peace that Hasuma Ryūji always wanted and he was glad to have it. This was mostly due to having Kotonoha by his side, the only person in this world that really mattered to him. There was also her family that he'd come to enjoy, especially Kokoro whom had become like a little sister to him as well.

Of course, this world had its fair share of people that he didn't like: Makoto, Sekai, Taisuke and Otome. He hated them all for different reasons, but all having a common link. Makoto had been Kotonoha's first boyfriend and he cheated on her. He hated Sekai because she had been Kotonoha's friend but went behind her back and cheated with Makoto. Taisuke had tried to rape Kotonoha during the last school festival. And Otome had been Kotonoha's bully before Ryūji stepped in. Does anyone see the connection yet?

Makoto spotted Ryūji and Kotonoha coming into school as Ryūji glared at him. The long-haired male student did not like him. Hell, he didn't like anybody in this school except for a select few with Kotonoha being one of them. Also, Ryūji seemed to revel in the fact that he was a better boyfriend to Kotonoha and rub it in Makoto's face. Fortunately, Kotonoha was around to prevent Ryūji from harassing Makoto, not that he would. He wasn't a bully and didn't want to waste his time on the worm.

Ryūji and Kotonoha didn't have that many friends in school, which actually suited Ryūji just fine. He personally thought that most of the school's population was made up of idiots. He hated Otome and her little clique for being nothing but a source of misery for Kotonoha and they learnt their lesson and stopped their attempts at bullying Kotonoha. It just wasn't worth it with Ryūji involved.

Ryūji and Kotonoha entered class and took their seats at the front of the class and waited for the homeroom teacher to enter. To kill some time, they chatted a bit and Ryūji made a joke that made Kotonoha giggle.

"OK, so today we'll be having a transfer student joining us for class." Murmurs went around the room before the teacher spoke again. "He came into town a week ago, so he's really unfamiliar with the area, so please be nice to him and help him out if he needs it." He called towards the door, "You can come in now."

The front door slid open as the transfer student entered, everyone's attention immediately drawn toward his black, spiky hair that resembled a set of horns with red highlights in them. Some girls in the class sighed as they gazed upon him; his fair skin and dark blue eyes scanning the room and looking at the students. Unlike the rest, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a matching jacket with a black sleeveless shirt underneath. They watched as he proceeded to write his name on the chalk board before turning back to face his peers. Hanging from his right shoulder was a large duffel bag.

"OK, so…the name's Fudō Yūji," he introduced, "And, well…what do you guys wanna know?"

Ryūji was impassive as he leaned back in his seat, not paying any attention. The transfer student was of no real interest to him, so why should he care? However, Kotonoha paid attention mostly to how unique the boy's hair was.

"Where are you from?"

"What's with your hair?"

"Do you have a girlfriend, cutie?"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Well, I'm from Neo Domino," Yūji answered, "About 40 miles north of here. My hair's always like this actually, except for when I take a shower so then it's down…" He was interrupted by whistles coming from some of the girls before he continued, "Um, and I'm actually single, by the way-" and he was cut off by more whistling and cheering girls, with some of the guys not liking Yūji already. "Anyway, I play the guitar, piano and violin, I read, I shoot pool, I bowl, I bike, I draw, I shoot-"

"Wait," a student interrupted, "You mean guns?"

"Yeah, my dad takes me out to a range on weekends so we could pop off a few rounds…" He grimaced at how dirty that sounded, "Aw, shit…" This earned him some laughs from the students. "Goddammit, Shin," he muttered. "I'm just glad the others aren't here."

"Others," Otome blinked as she spoke up, "You mean you have siblings?"

"A brother and 2 sisters," he confirmed. "My brother torments me every chance he can get while my sisters love to embarrass me any way they can."

"Fudō-san, you may take the empty seat over there," the teacher instructed.

Yūji took an empty seat at the desk neighboring Kotonoha and Ryūji's. He smiled at the girl who smiled back.

"Katsura-san is the Class Representative, so if you have any questions please ask her," advised the teacher.

"I'm in your capable hands, Iincho-san," Yūji greeted as he sat across from Kotonoha.

(Iincho=class rep)

Ryūji's right eyebrow twitched as his cold blue eyes narrowed at the new kid talking to _his _girlfriend. It took him months to hammer into everyone's minds that Kotonoha was his girlfriend. It seemed the new kid needed a lesson as well.

* * *

**LUNCH BREAK…**

"Well, I was told you're the Class Rep," said Yūji.

"Ah, yes. I'm supposed to give you the guided tour," said Kotonoha, smiling. She bowed. "Nice to meet you, Fudō-san."

Yūji noticed the other boy standing behind Kotonoha with his arms crossed. He wore a black, leather bomber jacket and he looked cross. "You OK, dude?"

"Don't call me 'dude'," Ryūji warned.

"Ryūji-kun, don't be rude," Kotonoha chided. She apologized, "Sorry, Fudō-san. Ryūji-kun is...well..."

"I'm coming along on this guided tour," Ryūji interrupted. He didn't trust the new kid to be alone with his girlfriend. "I'm Hasuma Ryūji," Ryūji introduced himself, "And Kotonoha's boyfriend. That's all you need to know."

"Aw, then you both look adorable together! Perfect, more people makes all kinds of stuff fun," Yūji welcomed before palming his face, "Goddammit, I did it again...!"

Ryūji cocked an eyebrow at Yūji .

"Well, shall we go, boys?" smiled Kotonoha.

"Lead the way," Yūji allowed as the three started walking, the new student with his bag in tow.

* * *

The tour was very informative as Kotonoha was very knowledgeable of the building, showing and telling Yūji all he needed to know about the school. She kept up a shy yet friendly disposition as she answered whatever questions Yūji had for her. In the meantime, Ryūji kept his eyes trained on the transfer student speaking with his girlfriend in such a friendly way. Ryūji was just overprotective of the girl due to what had happened the year before. That was why he kept people away from her through intimidation. Sure, Kotonoha didn't get many friends but she didn't have many to begin with. However, she was content to have Ryūji by her side.

"And this is the library," said Kotonoha. "Oh, Ashikaga-kun, you're here today?"

"Ah, Katsura-san," smiled the young man standing at the counter. He was a little shorter than Ryuji, standing at Kotonoha's height, with neatly combed brown hair. He wore glasses and his face was quite feminine looking. He was part of the Library Committee and he enjoyed performing his duties as he got to meet with Kotonoha and talk about books. He had a crush on her, but sadly she was already dating Ryūji . At first he had been concerned since Ryūji was a delinquent but he'd actually seen Ryūji come to Kotonoha's defence more than once, showing that he did care for the girl. Ryūji and Ashikaga Yūki got along well enough. The bespectacled boy wasn't a perv who leered at Kotonoha and was friendly enough to her in a way that didn't raise Ryūji's alarms. "Kon'nichiwa."

"Hey, Ashikaga," Ryūji greeted with a slight wave. "I wanted to return this." He took a book out of his jacket and handed it to Yūki. "Thanks for recommending it, kid."

"You're welcome, Hasuma-san," Yūki smiled. "And who's this? A new friend?"

"Fudo-san's a new transfer student," Kotonoha answered. "We're giving him a guided tour."

"And I'm already loving this place," grinned Yūji, "Quiet, small and peaceful."

"Wait until you meet all the self-centered, self-righteous assholes who come to school here," murmured Ryūji.

"Oh, and now I'm even more excited," Yūji returned, "Taking down guys like that is also fun. They've got people like that no matter where you go. Anyway, my favorite spot is the Music Room! They've got just about everything there!"

"Do you like music, Fudō-san?" Kotonoha inquired.

"Yeah, my sister and I always messed around with all kinds of sounds," he smiled. This earned him odd looks from the three students as he realized what he just said. "...And I just did it again," Yūji sighed.

"OK, do you do that on purpose?" Ryuji asked, regarding Yuji's habit of making suggestive comments.

"It's not my fault," Yūji whined, "I hang out with my cousin so much back home and he does the same shit! And don't even get me started on my aunt! She's even worse!"

"I...can actually relate," Ryūji confessed reluctantly. His own sister was a psychotic sociopath and sometimes he felt like she'd rubbed off on him.

"What does your aunt do?" Yūki asked.

"She writes adult literature," Yūji answered nonchalantly not noticing the embarrassed looks on Kotonoha and Yūki's faces , "Good stuff too. She's real famous for it and she even helps couples with relationship issues on the side. If you two ever have a problem, she's the girl to call," Yūji offered to the couple.

"A writer and a relationship counselor?" Ryūji asked for clarification.

"Yes," Yūji nodded.

"And she writes smut like that 'Icha-Icha Paradise' trash," Ryūji continued.

"Hey, it ain't that bad," he defended, "And lots of people like it, and that's not included your occasional pervs. My sister even has the complete set."

"What's your aunt's name?" Kotonoha asked, interested.

"Banabara Shiori," he answered.

Kotonoha let out a gasp. "USO!"

"What's wrong, Koto-chan?" Ryūji asked.

"I once read one of her books when I was younger!" Kotonoha replied, shocked.

Yūki cocked an eyebrow, "But...wouldn't you be too young for that sort of thing."

Embarrassed by the implication, she clarified, "No! No! Not like that! It was one of my favorite romance novels when I was in middle school was written by her!" She turned to Yūji. "And she's your aunt!?"

"Damn right, and she is fucking awesome," he bragged, "The best aunt a guy can ask for."

"Can you...can you introduce her to me, Fudō-san?" Kotonoha requested. She then apologized, embarrassed, "I'm sorry! Gomen! We've only just met!" She wanted to meet the author herself and ask her to sign her copy of the novel.

"I can give her a call," he smiled, "She's usually busy with counseling, writing and book signings but she always makes time for family."

Now warning bells were going off in Ryūji's head. "Koto-chan, may I speak to Fudō here, outside, for the moment?" He grabbed Yūji's arm and dragged him out of the library.  
Once outside, and out of earshot, Ryūji demanded, "OK, what the hell was _that _about?"

Yūji blinked, "What, what happened? Did I do that thing again?"

"OK, listen here, newbie. You're new so you don't know this, but everyone knows that coming too close to my girl is not a good idea," said Ryūji and he punctuated his statement by punching the wall next to Ryūji's head. "So, don't get any ideas of getting too close to her."

"Close? She wants to meet my aunt," Yūji reminded, "So I told her she can meet her. It's called being friendly; it's what I do; it's what I _need _to do. If I don't make friends then I get bored on my own, and when I get bored bad things happen. I kid you not, and I know people back home that can prove it. So I have to make connections quick before those bad things happen, which is why I'm hanging out with you two," he finished quickly before gasping for air.

"Just know your boundaries, Fudō. And if you do want to be friends with Koto-chan, be sure that's all you want. No bullshit," Ryūji warned. "I just don't trust you." Ryūji actually didn't trust many people. The number of people he could trust 100% he could count on one hand.

"Look, you two are an item," Yūji reminded kindly, "I already know that and I did say you two are adorable together. I even envy that shit and sometimes I wish I wasn't such a spazz. I mean, look at me; I'm grade-A spazz! Why do you think I'm still single?!"

Ryūji took in a deep breath and sighed, stepping back from Yūji. "I think you can find someone in this school." At least Yūji was smart enough to see that he and Kotonoha were together. Even after he and Kotonoha started dating a few guys tried to get too close to her with unsavory intentions.

"Ah, Hasuma-san," a voice greeted. The boys turned to the source of the welcome and Yūji's voice was lost as he saw the approaching student.

"Hello, Busujima," returned Ryūji as politely as he could. Busujima Saeko was an upperclassman and captain of the school's kendo club. Her long, indigo hair came down like a curtain and blue eyes seemed to glow as the sunlight shined from the window beside her. She wore the standard uniform like Kotonoha, with her skirt slightly longer than the standard length.  
Yūji was trying extra hard to keep his gaze upward as he couldn't find his voice to speak up. He hadn't met someone as beautiful as this girl outside his family in a long time and he rarely choked when talking to girls.

"Is your friend alright?" Saeko asked.

"Friend?" Ryūji blinked. "Oh, the new guy. Busujima Saeko, meet Fudō Yūji. He just transferred in our class today."

"Um...hey," Yūji tried to greet. '_Don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid,'_ he lectured himself.

Kotonoha stepped out of the library, "Is everything alright out here?" She noticed Saeko. "Ah, Busujima-sempai."

"Hello there, Katsura-san," smiled Saeko in a friendly manner. "So, this is your new classmate?"

"Yes, and we're about to head out for lunch," said Kotonoha. "But first we need to get the bento I left in the classroom."

Ryūji smiled. He loved it when Kotonoha made lunch for the both of them. Makoto may have thought her cooking tasted off but he loved every bite he took.

"Mind if I joined you?" Saeko asked. "I couldn't find a seat in the cafeteria. It's really packed today. Will you be joining us, Fudō-san?"

"Um...sure," Yūji accepted. He just hoped he didn't say anything stupid later, but given part of his upbringing it would only be a matter of time.

* * *

Kotonoha grabbed the picnic basket which contained her and Ryūji's lunches and led both Yūji and Saeko up to the roof. It was her and Ryūji's usual place to have lunch and to be alone together.

"Oh, man, that's quality air," Yūji sighed as he breathed in the clean air. "Freshness! And look at this place; 360 view of the entire town! Nothing like back home!"

"It's nice, I guess," Ryūji shrugged. "I'm not in love with the place but it's a nice place to live." He glanced at Kotonoha and Saeko who were chatting.

"So...how do you know Busujima-sempai?" Yūji asked. Ryūji cocked an eyebrow. "What? I didn't say anything this time, I'm sure of it!"

"Just wondering why you're asking me instead of talking to her yourself," Ryūji remarked.

"Oh...well, they're talking," he tried to explain as he pointed a thumb at the girls. "I can't just go in and interrupt. That's fuckin' rude."

"Good point," Ryūji accepted. He turned and leaned back against the fence. "Well...it was around the end of last year. Koto-chan had a Student Council meeting and told me to head home without her, but I decided to stay and wait in the gym. I was doing some training when Busujima came into the gym for the same reason. We sparred to past the time together." He smiled at the memory. "Koto-chan was really jealous when she saw us cross swords but I explained it to her. Busujima and Koto-chan have been friends ever since." Ryūji just considered Saeko an acquaintance like Ashikaga.

"Aw, that's so cute," Yūji mused as he watched the girls talking, "She don't look like the jealous type though."

Ryūji whistled, "You'd be surprised. Anyway, since that day Busujima has been giving Koto-chan a few pointers in self-defense like me."

"I just hope she never meets my sister," Yūji muttered.

"Why not?"

"My sister's good with swords too," Yūji explained, "_Really _good. And she doesn't know how to hold back in a fight or even sparring. None of us do."

"I got sisters myself; twins. Though, the older one is a psychotic sociopath," remarked Ryūji.

"I just pray you never meet Yuki or Yuri," Yūji prayed.

"Oh, they're that bad?"

"Just nuts," he simplified.

"Ryūji-kun, come on!" Kotonoha beckoned. "It's time to eat."

"Yes, dear," Ryūji smiled as she walked over to eat with his girlfriend.

"So, I was telling Katsura-san here that my team's going to be in a kendo tournament but one of my best members gotten into an accident," Busujima informed.

"Busujima...is this another ploy of yours to make me join the kendo team?" Ryūji asked suspiciously.

"Am I really that obvious?" Saeko asked.

"I dual-wield," he reminded. "I'm not a kendoka like you. I don't follow any rules when I fight except the most important one: aim to win, no matter what. I'd be no good."

"And yet you once took me on with one sword..."

"After you knocked the one in my left hand out. Had no choice. Besides, I don't play with wooden swords."

Yūji raised his hand as he spoke up, "Um...if you need an extra, maybe I could help."

"You practice kendo?" Saeko asked.

"Not really, but my uncle did beat a lot of hours of sword training into me while I was growing up," he clarified. "I don't know how good I stack up, but I have good arms and a grip."

"Well, I'll have to see how good you are then," she hoped.

"Yeah, sure then," Yūji accepted. '_Maybe this can work... Uncle Jack always said that people know each other better by fighting.'_

"My kendo team meets up every afternoon after school for practice," Saeko informed Yūji. She asked Ryūji and Kotonoha, "Would you both like to watch?"

"I have a Student Council meeting, unfortunately," stated Kotonoha.

Ryūji shrugged, "I would. I'm just busy waiting for Koto-chan anyway." He took a bite out of a sandwich. Kotonoha made the best lunches.

"I just hope I don't break anything this time..." Yūji muttered.

* * *

"So, what do you think of this school so far?" asked Ryūji. Both Saeko and Kotonoha had gone to the bathroom, leaving the two boys alone.

"It's a lot quieter and less complicated than back home," Yūji smiled. "And not having my brother around is just the icing on the cake!"

"Well, I guess the school's OK. Could do without a few people...so, how bad is that brother of yours?"

"He's tried to drown me, almost dropped a piano on me, almost blew me up five times, got me chased by cats, and even thrown knives at me," Yūji counted as he showed Ryūji a scar going across the right side of his neck. "See this? He chucked a knife at me and he said there was a mosquito on me! And it turns out he was right! And he fucking did that from across the fucking room with a smile!"

Ryūji blinked. That sounded awfully like his older sister Kat. It was a good thing that she was too far away. If she and Yūji's brother ever met, they might just work together to cause chaos for the sake of fun. His sister was just a violent psychopath by nature. She'd tried to kill their brother lots of times but now they got along as family.

"Sounds like he needs professional psychiatric help," said Ryūji, "Or a girlfriend to keep him in line."

"Che, yeah, he needs something alright," Yūji remarked.

"And what about that sister of yours?"

"Oh, Yuki's fine," he continued, "She's the most quiet of us, but she does talk; she talks to me more than anyone else though. But she's scary as fuck when she fights with those swords of hers. She's also..._weird_ sometimes."

"Most people consider their relatives odd in one way or another," Ryuji remarked.

"Well, the most normal of us, from what I can tell, would be my little sister Yumi," Yūji defended.

"Well, some shred of normalcy should be needed in life," Ryūji reasoned.

"I'll drink to that," Yūji agreed as he drank from his Snapple bottle.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear," Taisuke called on Makoto, "2-4's got a new student."

"Oh yeah?" Makoto blinked.

"Yeah, and from all the squealing I heard from the girls, the guy's probably some pretty boy," he commented.

"I wonder what he's like," Sekai mused.

"I just hope he isn't anything like...Hasuma," Makoto gulped. Ryūji had made it perfectly clear that he didn't like Makoto and the young man knew why. Makoto had reflected on how he'd treated Kotonoha and knew that Ryūji had every right to beat him up if he wanted to. It was only thanks to Kotonoha that he hadn't.

Taisuke shivered at the mention of Ryūji's name. The beating he took last year was fresh in his mind and he made sure to keep out of Ryūji's sight if he could help it. However, gym was next and both 2-3 and 2-4 had joint gym class. "Oh, god help me..." he paled.

* * *

**GYMNASIUM**

It was time for gym class and the students had changed out of their school uniform for their PE uniforms. The boys and girls all wore white t-shirts with black shorts.

"I hope it's dodgeball," Ryūji grinned as he glanced over to the 2-3 boys, his eyes focused on Taisuke and Makoto.

"Oh, you play too?" Yūji inquired.

"Dodgeball? Why not? It's a game that lets you hit the other guy with a ball as hard as you can," Ryūji grinned. "I love any form of contact sport."

"You know, there was this one time my brother and I had a game of dodgeball, right? We played for 5 hours, nonstop, and ended up with a draw."

"Get out," Ryūji uttered in disbelief.

"No joke, we were arguing about some stupid shit I can't remember so we decided to have it out with a game. Mom had to stop us before we both collapsed from exhaustion. So, are you on any sports teams?"

"Nope," Ryūji shook his head. "I don't play well with others."

"Well, dodgeball can be a solo game if you let it," Yūji reasoned. "Wait, Katsura's playing too right?"

"Boys and girls are normally separated," said Ryūji as he pointed over to where the girls were. "Looks like they'll be playing volleyball." He was worried since Kotonoha didn't get along well with her female classmates. Well, the girls just didn't want to deal with her and she was often ignored. However, things had changed since those days and the girls were no longer treating her like an outcast. He saw Sekai and Kotonoha talking. At least they were on speaking terms. He didn't understand how Kotonoha could forgive the girl for her betrayal, but then again he wondered how Kotonoha could still love him after finding out about...

* * *

The game was dodgeball, which Ryūji was going to enjoy. He glared at Taisuke and grinned ferally as the spiky-haired boy turned pale and looked like he wanted to feign sickness just to avoid taking a ball to the balls. He recalled when Ryūji had thrown a baseball at his face. He then looked to Yūji playing with an iPod.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Picking my tunes," Yūji answered, "Helps me focus when I do shit." He put his player into a pouch on his arm and closed it, grinning to himself as he cracked his knuckles, listening to Five Finger Death Punch's "The Way of the Fist" album as he bent his knees to be ready to move on a hair-trigger notice.

The whistle blew and the boys rushed for the balls that were lined up down the center of the court. Yūji was actually remaining in the center of his class's side, still in his waiting position.  
Ryūji bounced the ball on the floor and took hold of it as he chose his targets. Without hesitation he threw and the ball hit one of the boys on the other side in the chest, and knocked him down. The ball had bounced off and hit another boy nearby in the head before bouncing off to hit another in the stomach before the ball rolled back towards Ryūji which he picked up. "Three of you, OUT!" He pointed with his thumb. He was saving Taisuke and Makoto for last and wanted to prolong their fear and anticipation. He ducked under a ball and threw his ball to knock the guy down. Picking up another ball, he rolled along the floor and blocked with his ball in hand. He threw it and then caught a ball coming at him and threw that one. He ducked and dodged, bobbing and weaving to avoid getting hit and enjoying himself the entire time.

He looked off the corner of his eye and watched Yūji catching balls that flew by him. He even caught a ball with a single hand, making him spin 360 as he returned the ball to its sender, striking him in the torso as he was now out.. Two more boys from 2-3 tried to team up against Yūji, one tossing a ball and waiting for the new kid to deflect it while his partner followed after. However, Yūji saw the first ball coming and he spun sideways, letting the ball roll along his extended right arm and across his chest as he extended his left arm for the ball to fly, aiming at the first launcher's partner as he was struck in the forehead, taking him out.

"Yeah, baby!" Yūji clapped, "That's how we do it at Duel Academy!"

In a very short time, Yūji and Ryūji both cleared the other side while their classmates only took out one opponent at a time, the two were able to take down at least three students at a time, and never got hit when the balls were thrown at them. Ryūji had incredible reflexes and agility, able to evade without hesitation.

The game soon caught the attention of some of the girls as they watched the game while sitting on the sidelines. Many didn't like Hasuma, but they were interested in the transfer student and his moves. Kotonoha was watching as well and she was happy that Ryūji was seemingly getting along with Yūji.

And soon there was only Makoto and Taisuke who were left and Ryūji eyed the two with his blue eyes which glowed briefly. "Saving the best for last." He attributed his sadistic side to his eldest sister who had been a bad influence on him.

Yūji was focused on his music while waiting for someone to make a move. He had a ball gripped in his hands, bouncing it in front of him lightly as he waited patiently. He was ready to move when someone else moved, no matter who it was.

Makoto and Taisuke had borne witness to both Ryūji and Yūji taking out their classmates without breaking a sweat. Ryūji was enjoying it and he knew why. Taisuke's knees were trembling as he held the ball in his hand, terrified.

"Who's it gonna be?" Yūji muttered to himself as his eyes darted between his remaining classmate and the last two opponents, "Who's it gonna be..."

In a fit of panic, Taisuke shouted as he lobbed his ball as hard as he could at Ryūji. Yūji saw his chance and slammed his ball down as hard as he could, with Makoto, Taisuke, the benched boys and even the watching girls following the soaring ball with gaping mouths. Ryūji saw his chance and lunged forward, spinning to gain momentum as he launched his ball at Makoto, the boy still watching Yūji's ball as it was starting to descend. The clueless boy didn't know what hit him as he felt a sudden sharp pain in his groin as he froze before falling back.

"Makoto!" Taisuke gasped.

"Pay attention, dude!" Yūji called as his ball was nearing ground level. Yūji turned around and did a backflip, swinging his foot up as it slammed into the ball perfectly. The ball went soaring as it struck Taisuke in the chest, making him fly back a few feet off the ground before crashing on his back. "YEAH!" Yūji cheered as he threw his hands up. His benched classmates cheered as their victory was made by the new kid, even the girls from both classes cheering after watching both boys' athleticism.

However, some of the girls were actually worried for the downed boys, like Sekai, Kotonoha and Otome. Makoto may not be her boyfriend anymore, but she didn't think he deserved such cruel treatment from her current boyfriend. Then again, Ryuji did view what Makoto had done to her as unforgivable.

"I hope he's OK," said Sekai as she saw her boyfriend rolling on the floor in pain.

"Hey, Katsura," Otome spoke up. "Can't you get your boyfriend to ease up?"

"I did," said Kotonoha. This was Ryūji easing up on Makoto. If he had decided to do worse, he could, and nobody around would be able to stop him.

"He's gonna need to put ice on that," Ryūji remarked.

"I hear that," Yūji agreed. He looked to his remaining classmate and raised a hand, "High-5?"

"Meh, what the hell," Ryūji accepted as he and the new kid high-fived.

* * *

"Ryūji-kun, don't you think that was a little too much?" Kotonoha asked.

"After what he did to you? Nope," Ryūji denied.

"What'd that guy do?" Yūji asked.

"Sorry, but we're not that close for you to know anything too deep," he countered.

"Shutting up then," Yūji accepted as he drank his water.

"Gotta admit though, that wasn't a bad kick," Ryūji complimented.

"Training does wonders for the body," Yūji smiled.

"Fudō-san, where did you learn to move like that?" Kotonoha inquired.

"My dad and Uncle Crow," Yūji grinned, "The the others and I practically broke our bodies and built them back up again to do the stuff I did. And I wasn't even warming up!"

"Intense training at a young age," Ryūji summarized "I can respect that." Ryūki, in spite of being sheltered and naive, had been trained in martial arts as soon as he could walk. Ryūji inherited his skills from him, building up on them with his own training.

"So...what's next?" Yūji asked. "I think I just reached the highlight of my day."

"Boring classes for the next few periods until the final bell," Ryūji muttered. "If Koto-chan wasn't with me, I think I would've been bored to death."

"Fuck, shoulda known," Yūji hissed. "Well, better get going then."

* * *

It was finally the final bell and Ryūji had managed to stay awake through his classes. Classes after Gym were the worst since he'd expired his energy playing. However, it felt good to pummel Makoto for a short period of time. He was currently waiting for Kotonoha while she had her meeting with the rest of the student council when he spotted Yūji coming up to him.

"Whatup," Yūji greeted, "Where's Katsura?"

"She's got a student council meeting, remember?" Ryūji reminded. "She mentioned it earlier."

"Oh, right," he remembered. He felt a buzzing in his pocket and pulled out his phone as he opened it and answered. "Talk to me," he prompted.

"_Yūji, how's everything?"_ a female voice inquired.

"Everything's good, Mama," Yūji smiled, "Quiet, peaceful; almost too good!"

"_Made any friends?"_

"A few," he answered as he glanced at Ryūji.

"_You know, I'm still worried about you living on your own..."_

"Mama, I'm fine," Yūji insisted, "Everything's been paid for, remember? Uncle Jack even took care of the bill for the next 3 years so that you wouldn't have to worry about the living expenses."

"_And yet Jack could never pay for a cup of coffee," _Yūji's mother retorted. "_Just take it easy, OK? And stay safe. Love you."_

"Always," he nodded, "Bye then." And he hung up with a sigh, "Wow, didn't know how much I actually talk. It really takes a lot outta me!" He then noticed that Ryūji wasn't in the classroom anymore. "He must've left to wait for his girlfriend."

* * *

"That was an unnecessarily long meeting," remarked Ryūji as he and Kotonoha walked out of the building together. It was evening once the meeting was over.

"You didn't have to wait for me," said Kotonoha.

"I wanted to," he insisted. "Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take my girl home after school each day?" He smiled and Kotonoha was touched by his concern for her. He held her hand too as they went to the parking spot where he put his bike.

"So, Ryūji-kun, what do you think of Fudo-san?" asked Kotonoha.

"The new guy?" Ryūji asked. "He's cool, I guess. Better company than most of the idiots in this school."

Kotonoha frowned, "Ryūji-kun, that isn't fair."

"Hey, I only respect people who aren't afraid to talk to me and are nice to you," said Ryūji.

"Even if Ashikaga is intimidated by me, he's at least nice to you."

Kotonoha smiled, glad that Ryūji was willing to make friends. Though, he was setting up some pretty high standards. Ryūji was just naturally intimidating and not many were willing to get close to him. He handed her a helmet. "Come on, let's go home. I'm sure Kokoro-chan is waiting."

"I'll make dinner," she said.

"Nah, let me make dinner this time," he told her.

"Is it curry again?" she deadpanned.

"What's wrong with curry?"

"Your curry is too spicy sometimes," she stated, "_Really_ spicy."

"I'll try to make it mild enough for you girls," said Ryūji, rolling his eyes. He couldn't help it that he liked his curry extra spicy.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

**KRB: OK, so this is another one. Bored, yeah, I was bored. Chrome gave me the idea and helped some, so props to him. Anyway, if you wanna see more let me know. And try and give me opinions if you can. It's been a while since I posted the prototype chapter and I forgot this was here. My fault.**


	2. Try Outs

School was over and Yūji was exploring the town. He wasn't in the mood to cook for himself so he thought he could go out for dinner. It was at this time he happened upon the Radish Restaurant. He checked the signs and saw that served breakfast, lunch and dinner which earned a nod of acceptance from Yūji as he was in the mood to chow down.

"Evening!" he called as he entered the restaurant. He looked around, observing patrons at booths and tables as they enjoyed their meals as well as the waitresses. Yūji caught himself looking at the sexy-looking outfits that might as well be some kind of swimsuit or something. "Wow, Lord, have mercy on me," he mused. The girls were definitely cute and the outfits served to enhance their natural beauty.

"Welcome to the Radish, sir," a waitress greeted, "Let me take you to your booth."

"Oh, you can take me anywhere, sweetie," Yūji joked as he followed the girl.

Sekai was at the counter, wiping down the tabletop as she spotted Yūji being taken to a booth. She recognized him from the dodgeball game during P.E. before and she had to admit that he was pretty incredible.

"How about a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sub then," Yūji requested, "With a soda?"

"Coming right up," his waitress winked as she took his menu and left.

"I am starting to _really_ like this place," Yūji smiled.

"You're the new guy, right?"

Yūji looked up to see a young brunette staring down at him. "Ex-squeeze me?"

"Sorry, forgot to introduce myself," Sekai smiled, "I'm Saionji Sekai from class 2-3."

"Fudō Yūji. That's a pretty big name for you," Yūji remarked.

"Well, I think it fits me perfectly," she retorted. "Mind if I have seat?"

"Please do," Yūji welcomed as Sekai sat across from him. "You work here too then."

"Actually, my mom owns the restaurant and I help out after school," Sekai clarified.

"Family business then," Yūji accepted, "Sweetness."

"How come you don't wear the school's uniform?" she asked.

Yūji sighed and looked to her with a deadpanned look, "Would you believe they still haven't mailed me my uniform?"

"No way!" Sekai denied.

"Yes way," he insisted, "It's like they fucking lost it in Antarctica or something! So I gotta go with my street clothes for now."

"So, I saw you team up with Hasuma and I gotta admit I've never been able to see a guy move like you two," she commented.

"All thanks to my training," Yūji replied, "Basically ended up breaking my body down and building it right back up. Thank Kami I can't stretch my limbs like rubber. Now _that_ would be freaky."

"Hasuma doesn't really play well with others," Sekai continued, "So seeing you two working together was kind of a shock to most of us."

"Well, we weren't really working together," Yūji countered as his waitress brought his sandwich and drink, Yūji nodding in thanks, "We were really just playing our own ways. Least that's what I think."

"So, where are you from, Fudō-san?"

"Neo Domino City."

This got her attention as her eyes widened. "Seriously?! Isn't that one of the most teched out cities in the country?! Why would you wanna come down here when you live in such an awesome place?"

"It's peaceful," he smiled.

Sekai blinked at the simple response, "Peaceful?"

"Some things happened at school so they had to shut down for a while," Yūji explained. "So I decided to transfer until things cooled down and here I am. And I really like this place. It's quiet, peaceful, and the people here are really nice! It's a good break from the hustle and bustle of the big city."

"That includes Hasuma?" she asked skeptically.

"OK, I'll say he's like...a 5 on my nice scale," Yūji tried to reason, "He actually thought I was hitting on Katsura."

Sekai sighed. She knew why. She and Makoto had hurt Kotonoha pretty badly and Ryūji had been there to support her emotionally. Ryūji was also quite protective of her. "He's protective, and possessive," she remarked.

"As he should be," Yūji nodded, "Katsura's a beautiful gal and those two actually look adorable together! And Hell, you're kinda cute too, especially in that outfit. But...aren't you cold in that thing? The AC in here is pumping like crazy and I'm close to freezing my ass off. I hate the cold...!"

"I got used to it," she grinned.

"I bet you were a Polar Bear in a past life," Yūji remarked jokingly. Sekai laughed but felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Sekai, you should be working," said one of her co-workers.

"Duty calls," Yūji shrugged, "Well, take it easy, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I'll see ya around, Fudō-san," Sekai returned as she got up and left to return to her duties.

"Damn, things just get better and better," Yūji beamed as he grabbed his sandwich and proceeded to chow down.

* * *

Yūji returned to his apartment, satisfied from his meal. The bill wasn't too expensive, so he might go there more often. He exited his hallway, coming to an open closet and dining table on his right while the fully-stocked kitchen entrance was to his left, including a washing machine inside. Further in was a large freezer on his right with a set of wooden, collapsible tables. A recliner was in a corner of the living room and sat across from the sofa that was against the wall. In the corner of the window, closest to the large window that gave a good view of the city, was a 70-inch plasma widescreen TV with an X-Box Infinite and a PS-Nexus sitting together before the TV. The next hallway had a closet on his left, with a sub-hall that gave way to the apartment's bathroom and the next door onto the left was the guest room. All that was there was a king-sized bed. The last room was Yūji's, complete with his own king-sized bed on one side of the wall, a clothes drawer across from it, and another plasma TV in the corner. A closet was next to the room's entrance door and in the corner was a computer station, with a comfortable wheeled chair.

The high school student dropped his bag and his body onto his soft bed, happy to be home. This would be his home for the next couple of years of high school while staying in Sakakino. His uncle had managed to take care of the bill for the duration of Yūji's high school years. His thoughts wandered back to his classmates, specifically Kotonoha, Ryūji, Saeko and Sekai. They were good people, despite Ryūji being a little…abrasive. Still bored, Yūji grinned to himself and grabbed a set of keys and a black, samurai-like helmet (or kabuto) from the drawer's top and left his room. He decided tonight was a lucky night to have some fun.

* * *

**Music - "Tokyo Drift" by Teriyaki Boyz**

Sakakino may seem like a clean and peaceful city, but that was only on the surface. There were things that the general public would ignore, like the darker, seedier underbelly, and even if Sakakino was a nice place to live, it had its dark side. It was like any other city.

The underground races were well-known hangouts for the delinquents who wanted to show off their machines. They either arrived in modified, souped up automobiles, with loud growling engines, or came with sleek, two-wheeled motorcycles built for both speed and maneuverability. It was just a contest of masculinity displayed with speed and power demonstrated by their respective modes of transportation.

Ryūji was a frequent visitor to these races. While illegal, it wasn't like he was trying to hurt anybody. Well, he hurt their pride when he beat them at a race but it was a battle of speed and someone had to come up on top, and he had no interest in losing.

Kotonoha did not know about this. He would sneak out once she was asleep and ride off to the usual place so he could have fun. He had a need for speed and adrenaline.

His bike, his pride and joy, was a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14. It was painted black with metallic blue trim, equipped with incredible horsepower. It was capable of achieving great speeds and also it looked damn awesome. He was not the type of guy to ride on a geeky scooter. No, a sport bike was the best vehicle for him.

"Hey, Hasuma!" Onizuka greeted as he gave the teen a high-5. "Didn't see you the last couple of nights!" Onizuka had bleached hair in a crew-cut hairstyle and was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.

"Had issues with my housemate," said Ryūji, referring to Kotonoha. "Needed to wait until she went to bed before I could sneak out."

"Not the type to approve of this?" Onizuka asked.

"No, but this is what I like to do so that's why I'm doing it," he said to Onizuka. He hated hiding this from Kotonoha but it wasn't like what Makoto had done. Besides, he would come clean once she was ready.

"You know, Tetsu and his crew are still a little pissed at you for what happened last time," Onizuka advised.

"Didn't come here to make friends," Ryūji dismissed. "I just came here to race and make some cash. So, how much is in the pot tonight?"

"A good 150,000 yen," said Onizuka. Ryūji handed him a wad of bills.

"Here's another 20,000," Ryūji offered. Onizuka countered the bills.

"Are you sure?" Onizuka asked.

"That cash is mine, Onizuka," Ryūji swore. "I didn't come here to leave empty handed."  
Onizuka sighed. He had met Ryūji months ago when he'd been a newcomer and the kid with the Kawasaki Ninja had become one of their most well-known racers.

* * *

This was the last place Ryūji would expect to see someone from his school. Yūji came rolling in on a black, futuristic-looking bike and helmet. Some of the other patrons had to admire the bike's design.

Yūji had stopped his bike, lifting the left side as he stepped off and approached Onizuka. "I heard this is where the real party's at," Yūji commented, "And I kinda like it."

"And how did you know about this place?" Onizuka asked suspiciously.

"The Daemon King told me of the battlefield and the Black Bird guided my direction," he answered cryptically.

Onizuka gawked as he immediately shook Yūji's hand, "Alright then. You lookin' to race?"

"Just testing the waters since I'm new in town. I still got stuff to do so I won't be here all the time," Yūji clarified. "But...if you want me to come back in the future, then we can talk. Fudō Yūji, by the way."

"Onizuka," he returned, "So, I'm guessing you got the necessary green?"

Yūji handed him 20,000, "Just a little. Gotta spend light so I can get the stuff I need. If things go right tonight, then maybe I'll bring in more."

"Next race is about to start in 5 minutes," Onizuka informed Yūji. "Starting line's over there. The finish line is also here, but you gotta follow the route if you wanna win." He whispered, "Oh, and word of advice: if you're a newbie then you should back out of this race. This is for the seniors here, not a newbie."

"I figured I'd greet the pros and show'em what I got," Yūji reasoned, "If they don't like me, then I'll leave and never come back; no questions. How does that sound?"

"That's good, but be careful. These guys don't kid around," Onizuka warned.

**End Music**

* * *

Ryūji dropped his used cigarette and stomped it out before taking a large gulp of Red Bull. When he saw Yūji, his eyes widened and he did a spit take. Coughing, he pounded his chest and yelped,

"FUDO!?"

Yūji blinked and turned to see his classmate, blinking before he recognized him. "Oh, Hasuma, you race too?"

"What the fuck are you doing here!-?" Nobody from school was supposed to know he was here, not that he cared, really. But what if Kotonoha found out? Her opinion mattered the most to him. "How did you find out about this place!-?"

"My uncles," Yūji answered simply. "Oh, and I a got license for this thing, so no need to worry."

"Hey, Hasuma! Who's the newbie?" Tetsu asked. He had reddish brown hair that was short and messy, wearing black jeans and a red jacket he wore closed. Accompanying him was a his crew of guys and girls. The guys raced and the girls were just their cheerleaders. Tetsu had been one of the top racers in this underground circuit and was at the top, until Ryūji beat him at a race that one time. Since then, Tetsu had been trying to get even with Ryūji.

"Just an acquaintance, Tetsu," Ryūji retorted. Tetsu poked his chest.

"You're going down tonight, kid. That pot and all that cash is gonna be mine. And once I'm done with you, you're going to be _walking _home," Tetsu threatened.

"Talk big after you win," Ryūji dismissed Tetsu. Tetsu snorted and walked off with his crew.

"Prick," he muttered.

"Is he one of those vets?" Yūji asked.

"Been at this for three years," Ryūji said. "Or so I heard. He outran the police once."

"OK," he shrugged, accepting the story, as he put on his helmet and pressed a button, the visor sliding down to cover his eyes.

"So, what's that you're riding?" asked Ryūji. "Seems pretty hi-tech."

"My D-Wheel, Ebon," Yūji smiled. He revved the engine, which sounded different to Ryūji from any other bike engine he'd come into contact with.

"Well, since you're new, and since you're an acquaintance, let me give you some advice. Ride fast, and try not to die," Ryūji said as he put on his helmet. "Oh, and I'm winning tonight's pot, no questions asked." He slid down the visor over his face.

"Let's let Fate be the judge of that," Yūji smiled. For some reason, that smiled irked Ryūji but a lot of things tended to irk him. Maybe it was just in his head.

Engines were revved, growling like wild beasts prepared for battle. The riders of each bike had their game faces on. The pot was huge tonight and everyone wanted the grand prize. For some, however, it was a matter of pride rather than money. This was the lifestyle they had chosen; live fast, live free.

A girl in a tank top and short skirt stood in front of the racers, blowing them kisses. She raised her hand and then she brought it down in a swing, signaling the start of the race. Motorcycles roared as they raced past her, the wind blowing back her hair as a result.

Ryūji glanced to his side as he and Yūji were more or less neck and neck as they made a turn. He could barely hear the bike's engine which let out a distinct humming noise instead of the occasional roar of a motorcycle engine.

Tetsu growled, gritting his teeth. He was not going to let himself get humiliated again. Shifting gears, he accelerated and picked up speed. He dashed past Yūji and Ryūji and he gave them the finger as he taunted them.

"That's rude," Yūji chuckled. He'd gotten the finger before so he wasn't really fazed by this one.

"No way! That cash is mine!" Ryūji then heard sirens. "What the fuck?" He looked at his side mirror and blanched. "Dammit! The cops!"

"Guess the fun's over then," Yūji muttered to himself. He revved the engine and shouted, "See ya later, Hasuma!" as he was forced to evacuate the course and turned down another road.

"Guess he's smart," Ryūji said. While he cared little for the law, he had no reason to get himself a criminal record. Besides, he'd have to explain himself to Kotonoha. The money wasn't worth getting arrested and locked up in a jail cell. But he also didn't want to abandon the money. However, considering the cops, the money was probably gone, confiscated as evidence. Grumbling, he picked up speed and went into heavy traffic to lose the cops. "There's always next time..." he swore. He still had plenty of money saved up from his last few races.

* * *

Ryūji, needing a drink stopped at a 24-hour convenience store. He knew that underage drinking was against the law, but fortunately he had a fake ID to help him get his booze. He just really needed a beer to drown out his sorrow of losing all that money. Taking a gulp of the beverage, he scowled. "Fucking bullshit," he growled as he crushed the can in his hand.

He hated giving up in the middle of a race. Especially when the cash prize for the race was huge! His hearing picked up a familiar humming sound as he looked to the side and saw Yūji's bike coming to a stop.

"Well, that sucked," Yūji sighed as he removed his helmet. He got off and walked to a vending machine, putting in change as he got a Snapple out of it and opened it to drink. "That's good stuff," he sighed happily, blinking as he turned to see Ryūji gawking at him. "You know, we've got to stop meeting like this," he teased," Or else people will start talking."

"Have you been following me?" Ryūji asked suspiciously. "Did Warren put you up to this?" He muttered angrily, "Damn asshole won't leave me the fuck alone."

Yūji stared at his classmate, then looking from side to side before looking back to Ryūji as he raised his free hand, "Question: Who's Warren?"

"Guy who can't get off my back for one second, always checking up on me, making sure I stay out of trouble," Ryūji listed.

Yūji thought about for a moment before shaking his head, "Never heard of anyone like that. Don't like him?"

Ryūji sighed. Guess Yūji wasn't working for Warren. "No...I owe him a lot...I just wished he trusted me more and let me live my life..."

Yūji shrugged before continuing his drink before trashing the empty bottle. "Guess I'll head home then. Got homework and all that. See ya tomorrow." A wave was the last thing Yūji did before taking his D-Wheel and leaving Ryūji at the store.

* * *

Ryūji let out a small yawn next to Kotonoha as they sat together.

"Had trouble sleeping?" she asked.

"More or less," Ryūji nodded. He wanted to keep his mouth shut about his night-life adventures.

The sound of the sliding door caught Ryūji's attention as he saw Yūji coming in, a set of headphones covering his ears as he walked up and took his seat.

"_I'm comin' down on the stereo, hear me on the radio! Click-Click-Boom," _Yūji sang to himself before removing his headphones and greeting his two favorite classmates. "Morning, lovebirds," he smiled.

"Fudō-san...!" Kotonoha blushed.

"Oh, come on," he pointed, "You obviously can't hide it. Besides, it's fun messing with you two." Ryūji was glaring at him. "What?"

"I'd like to speak with you," began Ryūji as he stood up. "Outside. Now."

"Uh-oh, I hope he doesn't plan on hitting on me," Yūji laughed as he continued with his teasing. Ryūji grabbed his sleeve and dragged him out of the classroom.

Out in the hallway, far from the classroom, Ryūji spoke, "OK, I'll talk and you'll listen, because I am going to say this once. Don't utter a word about last night to Koto-chan. She doesn't know, and she doesn't need to know. Got it?"

"OK," Yūji nodded, "I'll keep my mouth shut. Question."

"What?"

"What if she finds out on her own or something?" Yūji asked.

"She won't. She definitely won't. Nobody else is gonna talk about last night without implicating themselves," Ryūji stated.

"If you're sure then," Yūji accepted. "Can we go back in now? I'm afraid one of the girls might try and sneak into my bag or something. A lot of them were looking at me funny since I got here."

"Fine," said Ryūji. "Come on, and remember what I said; last night never happened." Yūji smiled as he ran his fingers across his lips like a zipper.

* * *

Ryūji was trying not to doze off during History class. He could hear a faint sound and looked across from him, seeing Yūji with an earpiece in his right ear as music was playing while he was taking notes. Guess that was how Fudō was able to get through classes.

* * *

It was after school and we find Yūji and Saeko in the Kendo Team's dojo. Ryūji was sitting on the sidelines, watching while Kotonoha's meeting had progressed. He'd leave when it came close to the time it ended and would go to pick her up.

Yūji and Saeko were dressed in training gi, both bowing before taking stances with their respective weapons; Saeko was using her bokken as Yūji used a shinai.

The rest of the Kendo Club sat on the sidelines as well. They were told by Saeko that she found a possible substitute for the downed member, so they came to see what he could do. They had no idea it would be the new transfer student. But since Saeko's decision to have him try out, then they couldn't really argue since she was the captain.

"Let's see what you've got, Fudō-kun," Saeko smirked.

"You asked for it," Yūji glared.

"And go!" Ryūji called.

The two dashed, going for strikes as the swords clashed. Saeko and Yūji struggled against each other as they tried to overpower each other. Yūji was holding his sword straight as Saeko guarded horizontally. She slid to the side, her sword sliding away from Yūji's as she got next to him and prepared to strike as she raised her bokken. Yūji saw it off the corner of his eye and shifted his stance, swinging his sword from the left as Saeko's swung hers down. Both swords connecting, Yūji's shinai actually broke from the force of his swing while Saeko's bokken was knocked from her hands as it flew to the wall before landing.

The kendo members gawked, unable to believe what they saw. Splinters of the sword were everywhere as it had easily broke in Yūji's hands.

"Huh, not a bad swing," Ryūji muttered.

"_Dammit,"_ Yūji swore in English as he threw away his broken weapon.

"That wasn't a bad swing," Saeko complimented. "That shinai must've been old if it broke like that..."

"No, that was me," Yūji admitted. "I have freakish strength. I've tried using a sword, I really have, but for some reason they keep fucking breaking!"

Saeko and Ryūji blinked at that, almost sure that Yūji was referring to real swords. But it was difficult to break a sword with just brute strength, especially one made of Japanese steel.

"Would you like to try again?" Saeko offered.

Of course Yūji wanted to try again. He felt that his pride was on the line now as he had a chance to help Saeko in her time of need. She needed a substitute for her unfortunate teammate and Yūji felt that he had to help her no matter what it took. Glancing to the side, Yūji spotted a steel basket of more shinai and this gave him an idea.

He jabbed his thumb to the basket and requested, "Is it alright if I use more?"

"Use as many as you need, Fudō-san," Saeko smiled.

Yūji nodded in thanks and went to the basket as he pulled out two more swords, earning odd looks from everyone as he twirled them in his hands. "OK, let's try this..."

"Interesting," Saeko smirked as she took a stance.

* * *

Kotonoha was relieved that the meeting had finished early. It was a rare occurrence that things were handled quickly and effectively, but she was thankful. However, Ryūji wasn't here. She looked down both ends of the hall and only other Class Representatives were present as they were leaving the school.

Then it hit her. "Maybe he's at the Kendo Club," she suggested. She remembered Yūji volunteering to help Saeko with the Kendo Team's predicament about needing a substitute.

* * *

"If you're both ready, then resume!" Ryūji called.

**Music - "Wild War Dance" by Aimee Blackschleger**

Yūji roared as he charged with surprising speed, catching Saeko off guard for a second before she blocked a swing from Yūji. His strikes weren't as brutish from when he used a single sword, but they were still powerful and she did like Yūji's ingenuity. Using a sword with one hand would normally be half as powerful compared to using a sword with both hands. Using two swords probably had the same power as a single sword to him now, but numbers alone wouldn't be enough to stop Saeko. She swung her bokken horizontally and struck Yūji's right arm, blinking as he didn't seem to be fazed by the strike as he swung at her with his left sword. She quickly turned to block it, losing her balance during the shift as she was pushed back by Yūji's force, making her slide back. Yūji then roared as he jumped up, coming down on Saeko as he swung both of his swords down. Saeko defended with a horizontal slash as the swords clashed again, with Yūji's swords breaking again. Saeko took the chance and struck Yūji's torso, launching him back as he crashed into the wall.

"Saeko-senpai knocked him back!"

"But that new kid isn't bad!"

"I've never heard of anyone using 2 swords at once!"

'_I dual wield_,' thought Ryūji but the rest of the Kendo Team didn't know that.

"Are you alright, Fudō-san?" Saeko called.

"_Shit!"_ Yūji swore as he got right back up and went to the basket. This time he pulled out 4 swords, gripping them between his ring & pinkie fingers as well as his index & middle fingers.

"OK, let's try this!"

Saeko blinked, "Four swords...?"

"Four swords? Is this kid crazy?"

"Now I _definitely _haven't seen this before!"

"He's gotta have some serious hand strength if he can hold those swords like that!"

Ryūji cocked an eyebrow at the unconventional handling of swords. '_OK, that's new.'_

Yūji roared as he charged again, dashing at Saeko as he swung with his doubled swords. His arms' movements were ambiguous, more like swiping strikes as Saeko blocked and observed Yūji's attack style. However, it kept changing with the more swords he acquired. She raised her sword for a strike and Yūji saw his opening, tossing two of his swords up to her sides, and jumping to Saeko's side as he swung down on the swords' handles, kicking them up as they hit Saeko's back as she was caught totally by surprise as she was stunned and fell forward a bit.  
Ryūji had not looked away and he saw how adept Yūji was at using four swords simultaneously. He didn't think it was possible to wield swords effectively in that manner. His eyes also picked up what looked like the battle aura of the two, with Saeko's having an indigo glow as Yūji's aura glowed with a vibrant blue color. Gazing at the Kendo team, they were trying to lift their jaws off the ground, shocked by Yūji's display. Of course they'd be surprised. They had never seen anyone last against Saeko this long before.

Yūji grabbed his lost swords and returned them to his grip, grinning as he continued swinging but Saeko turned and struck, targeting Yūji's forearms as the shock forced him to let go. Saeko then retaliated by striking his chest continuously as he grunted with each hit. However, Ryūji was the only one who noticed a manic grin developing on Saeko's face, as if she was enjoying the spar which looked like it turning more into a full-out battle. One more strike launched Yūji into the wall again, leaving a small crater as he coughed up a little bit of blood from the impact of Saeko's attack as well as the wall.

"Ouch..." Ryūji winced. That had to hurt, and he could've sworn he heard something crunch; probably some of Yūji's bones.

"Is that all, _Fudō-kun?_" Saeko smirked as she beckoned him with a finger. "I'm sure you can do more. I have high expectations of you, after all~!"

Yūji rose from his slump, grinning as he wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth. He ran to the basket and pulled SIX SWORDS, gripping them between his four fingers. "How's this grab ya, Busujima?-!"

"SIX SWORDS?!"

"This guy is nuts!"

"This has to be illegal! Isn't it?!"

"This is getting crazy!"

Now Ryūji had to force himself to not gawk. Now Yūji was trying to wield six swords, each gripped between his fingers. Just how was he going to fight like that? It'd be interesting to see...or turn into a disaster. The only people he'd ever seen wield more swords than they could hold were telekinetic.

"_OK! LET'S DANCE!"_ Yūji roared as he charged ahead, putting his body low and his arms back as he had gotten even faster.

Saeko saw him coming and acted; running to match Yūji as her grin only grew along with her excitement and anticipation for what was next. Yūji had surprised her at every turn, and this new development only served to fuel her excitement. Their "blades" clashed, wooden crashing against wood as their attacks echoed through the room like mild thunder, hurting the ears of the viewers as they tried to cover them. Ryūji's ears were more acute than normal humans, so he felt the power of their strikes more than the other students, but he was able to maintain his calm posture as he watched Yūji and Saeko go at each other. He saw them both grinning like psychos and this worried him just a bit. But maybe this was good for Yūji so he could get to know Saeko better.

"Ryūji-kun!" Ryūji's ears perked up as he looked to see Kotonoha at the entrance. However, though she did call him, she was gawking at the apparent "battle" that was going on between Yūji and Saeko.

"Koto-chan!" he blinked as he went to her. "What are you doing here? What happened to your meeting?"

"It...Ended early," she said hesitantly as she could look away from the battle. "What is going on...?! How is Fudō-san using six swords like that?!"

"Not by telekinesis," Ryūji remarked.

'_This is amazing...'_ Saeko thought to herself as she clashed with Yūji. The excitement built up more and more as they tried so hard to hit each other. '_This feeling... I've felt it before! I'm...I'm...!'_

"HEEEEYAH!" Yūji roared as he twisted his body around, swinging both arms and swords from the right as he knocked Saeko's bokken out of her hands and into the air. She blinked and froze as Yūji had the swords in his right hand at her throat. Both combatants were breathing heavily, deep blushes on their faces as they were trying to come down from their battle high.

**End Music**

"I...I lost," Saeko admitted.

Yūji was panting, keeping his swords trained on Saeko before grinning and spoke, _"You rock! _That was the best workout I've had in my entire life!"

Silence hit the room like a ton of bricks. The kendo students suffered from Lockjaw as they were still trying to get it through their heads that their captain was defeated by a _new kid_!

Kotonoha was applauding after Yūji's victory with Ryūji just looking critically at both. He was interested to know what training Yūji had gone through to simultaneously wield six swords. Even in theory, he'd never heard of such a feat.

Also, his heart was racing during the entire bout. He'd sparred with Saeko once but now he wanted to fight against Yūji. His fingers flexed as he wanted to grip a pair of his own swords and see how well he did against Yūji.

**Music - "Heaven's Door [Zero-Two]" by Sawano Hiroyuki**

"FUDO!" Ryūji shouted.

"Huh?" Yūji blinked as he turned to Ryūji.

"FIGHT ME!" Ryūji put his hands into his jacket and much to everyone's amazement drew out a pair of Chinese scimitars.

"Ryūji-kun!" Kotonoha cried out surprise.

"Hasuma-san..." Saeko uttered. It seemed that Yūji had awakened the fire inside Hasuma this time.

Yūji stared at Ryūji for a minute, then speaking. "Question."

"What?" Ryūji demanded.

"Right now?"

"No, next week," he remarked sarcastically before quickly adding, "Of course now!"  
"I don't think you know this, but I'm holding wood," Yūji pointed out as he showed the six swords. He then blanched, "Oh, fuck, I did it again... Anyway, you're holding...the fuck is that; Ice?-! How do you even make swords out of ice?-! I can't fuckin' fight you with wood! I'd get fucked over easy!"

Ryūji realized he'd shown them all his signature weapons and grunted before putting the swords away. "Fine..." He went to the basket and grabbed a pair of bokken. He twirled them around in his hands. "How's this then?"

"Alright, now this is working," Yūji nodded as he turned to Saeko, "Busujima?"

"Please, don't worry about me," Saeko smiled, "Spar as much as you want."

"_Perfect,"_ Yūji smirked as he aimed his right swords at Ryūji, "OK, Hasuma, let's see how long you last against these new claws of mine... _You good with that?_"

"Just as long as you can deal with my fangs," said Ryūji. He'd handed the bokken to Kotonoha and was sliding off his jacket before removing his tie, dropping them to the floor before taking the bokken from her. He held the bokken in his left hand in a reverse grip as he held the bokken in his right hand properly. The bokken in his left hand was held behind him as he bent his knees. "Busujima, start us off!"

"If you'd be so kind," Yūji added as he lowered his body again and reared his sword arms back.  
Saeko nodded and raised her arm. She looked at both combatants who nodded at her and she swung her arm down, "Hajime!" Maybe this would motivate her teammates to work harder.  
Ryūji, considering his nature, did not wait and rushed towards Ryūji at high speeds. He found an opening and swung the sword in his left hand to strike at Yūji. The transfer student swung his left 'claws' to block the strike. He could feel the raw power behind Ryūji's attack. He swung his right claws at him, only to be blocked by the right sword as they had both locked each other in a stalemate. The boys growled and grunted as they fought for dominance, sliding back along the wooden floor as their weapon-holding arms were both raised and lowered. Their faces were in full view of each other, glaring into each other's eyes as they seemed to be looking into each other's souls.

To break the stalemate, Ryūji raised his right leg and drove his foot into Yūji's stomach, driving him backwards. Twirling his swords again he, held them both in a reverse grip and rushed at Yūji, unleashing a relentless barrage of blows with the bokken. He was fast and aggressive, and since Kotonoha was watching he didn't want to lose in front of her. His pride wouldn't allow him to lose. His eyes glowed for a moment as he stopped to scan Yūji.

Yūji coughed as he tried to regain his posture and chuckled as he spat more blood out of his mouth. "Felt that one... Well, at least there's tough guys around to make things fun no matter what school you go to. This is turning into a real _party_."

"I guess you're not lookin' to give up," Ryūji mused.

"_That's right," _Yūji grinned.

"Good. Because otherwise this won't be any fun," said Ryuji and he once again dashed at Yūji, thrusting his right sword at his chest. He then gawked as Yūji blurred out of sight, swinging at nothing but air.

"Ryūji-kun!" Kotonoha called as she pointed up. Ryūji looked back and up, eyes wide as he saw Yūji coming down with a raised sword arm.

"_**PHANTOM DIVE!"**_ he roared.

"SHIT!" Ryuji cursed as he crossed his swords to block the oncoming attack. The guard and strike connected, with Yūji and Ryūji's battle auras flaring about and the spectators almost being blown away. Yūji's aura was still an electrifying blue while Ryūji's was a flaring, icy-blue aura.

"URRYAAAAAH!" Yūji roared as he poured his energy into the attack. Ryūji was pouring his own energy into keeping up his defences. He gritted his teeth to put up a strong resistance.

"_**Ji..Jigoku...JIGOKUHA!"**_ Ryūji roared as his body exploded with his battle aura. The blast of aura pushed Yūji back, throwing him through the air as he landed perfectly with a slamming thud.

**End Music**

"_OK_, things are getting good," Yūji grinned.

Ryūji stared at his bokken which had cracks spreading along them before they fell to pieces. Looking at Yūji, he saw that Yūji's own bokken had also broken to pieces as well. Guess they couldn't handle the strain they were being put through.

"We should call this a draw," Ryūji suggested, "Unless you wanna keep fighting with broken claws."

"_Huh?"_ Yūji blinked as he looked down. The three swords in his right hand were broken. "Huh, didn't even notice. Oh well," he shrugged as he dropped all his weapons, "And here I thought of a new little trick I wanted to try out. Them's the breaks, I guess."

Ryūji smirked and went back to Kotonoha who handed his jacket back to him. "Are you OK?" she asked.

"Better than OK," Ryūji grinned. He'd found someone to spar with. It had been pretty boring but then Yūji came along.

"Um, sorry for the mess, Busujima," Yūji apologized as he looked at the wall and wood fragments all over the floor. "I guess I kinda tore the place up a bit..."

"It's no problem," Saeko smiled, "In fact, that was the best fight I have ever seen, Fudō-kun. And your unique style was definitely a sight to see." She and Yūji turned to hear clapping from the kendo members as they were astonished by both matches; if you would actually call those fights "matches."

"And to think I just came up with that 6-sword style on the fly," Yūji chuckled.

Saeko blinked at this, "You mean you've never fought like that before?"

"Nope," he answered proudly, "All that shit was on the fly; 100% trial & error."

"Thought so," said Ryūji. "So, you were just experimenting on something you thought might be a good idea. I mean, in a battle, nobody would think of carrying six swords at once so it'll catch anyone off guard."

"_That's right,"_ Yūji grinned, "And now that I've got a style I like, I'm gonna be workin' on it to make it even better! I'll be thinking of new techniques from now on and experimenting."

Ryūji realized that Yūji had been able to match him with a new style and realized he needed to train some more. Yūji had a lot of potential.

Ryūji had just found his rival.

"So, I guess I'll be swinging by more often," Yūji said.

"You're welcome anytime, Fudō-kun," Saeko smiled.

* * *

Ryūji and Kotonoha headed straight back home after leaving school. Ryūji was smiling, and he rarely smiled the way he did unless he got into a really awesome fight.

"So, I saw you had fun fighting with Fudō-san," said Kotonoha as she and Ryūji entered her house.

"It's been awhile since anyone's given me a decent challenge," said Ryūji.

"I just hope you won't turn battle crazy," Kotonoha worried, "You tend to do that and I don't think the school could maintain its integrity if you go all out in a fight."

"Koto-chan, I won't make promises I can't keep, but for you I'll try." He gave her a chaste kiss to seal the deal.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

**KRB: OK, here's another one. Got just a bit of action based on Tokyo Drift. The movie was alright, but could've been better. Also did some swordplay. The new sword style should be familiar to some people, no?**


	3. Unexpected Visits

Ryūji had an X-Box 360 but he made sure to play it in his room on his own television. At the moment he was playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. He loved first-person shooters, the bloodier the better.

"Die! Die! Hey, eat lead, assholes!" Ryūji shouted into his headset's microphone.

His door opened as Kokoro poked her head inside. "Ryūji-niichan, breakfast is ready," she said.

"OK, Kokoro-chan," Ryūji nodded as he stopped playing and followed her out. "Your sister's cooking again, right?"

"Of course!" beamed the little girl. "And all because of you!"

Ryūji shrugged but didn't disagree as he went downstairs and sniffed the air. "Ohayo, Koto-chan!"

Kotonoha was already setting food on the dining table. "Ohayo!" She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him.

"Ew!" Kokoro teased.

"Sooner or later, Kokoro-chan, you'll be doing this," Ryūji told her.

"But I'll be Onii-chan's bride then!" Kokoro countered.

"Actually, your sister is gonna be my bride," Ryūji corrected.

"Ryūji-kun..." whispered Kotonoha, blushing. He could be so sweet. They sat down to eat.

"Let's see. Pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon!" Ryūji smiled. "Pass the chocolate sauce, please." He was glad he wasn't allergic like the rest of his siblings. To them a single drop of chocolate sauce would be disastrous. Fortunately, Ryūji did not possess that weakness, allowing him to enjoy chocolate without causing some kind of disaster. Ryūji poured the chocolate sauce all over his batch of pancakes. "Itadakimasu!"

Kotonoha and Kokoro preferred honey with their pancakes and started to eat.

"So, anybody got plans today?" asked Ryūji. "I was thinking of just playing a few rounds of COD on X-Box Live."

Kotonoha shook her head, "Ryūji-kun, those games are really violent."

"Well, it's either simulated combat or real combat. Besides, nobody really gets hurts except for n00bs."

* * *

Ashikaga Yūki tore his headphones from his head and dropped his controller. "13 times! I got killed 13 times in the last half hour!" He just got the game too and was getting taunted by veteran players who called him a n00b. "This is why I prefer World of Warcraft..."

* * *

"I was thinking we could all go out today," said Kotonoha. "Kokoro-chan, you finished your homework, right?"

"Almost, Onee-chan," said Kokoro.

"Well, I was actually thinking of another plan," said Ryūji as he took out a pair of movie tickets. "Two tickets for an afternoon showing of Dawn of the Dead II!" Ryūji knew Kotonoha loved zombie movies.

"I've wanted to see that!" exclaimed Kotonoha excitedly. "I can take Kokoro-chan with me!"

"Hey, what about me?" Ryūji asked.

"You said you wanted to play video games today," Kotonoha reminded. "So I'll take Kokoro-chan."

"Yay!" Kokoro cheered.

Ryūji saw right through them and chuckled, "You're both just yanking my chain, ain't ya?"

"Yes," the sisters admitted. Kokoro didn't like zombie movies and knew how important spending time with Ryūji was.

Ryūji stayed with them in their house in Haramihama. Their parents had entrusted Ryūji the duty of caring for his daughters. Even the girls' mother trusted him. They did consider Ryūji a much better match for their daughter. Despite his appearance, he was not as bad as he appeared. It did take time to convince them but they trusted Kotonoha and the boy had helped to pick up and put together the pieces of their daughter's broken heart. He'd been a friend to her when she had none, and became more as time went on.

"You know, you should try COD," said Ryūji. "There's a campaign in the game that lets you kill zombies. But if that's not your taste, how about some Resident Evil?"

"I'll pass," said Kotonoha. "I don't play violent video games."

"Suit yourself, but my door is always open and I got a spare controller with your name on it," Ryūji said. He wanted Kotonoha to play, but not online. There were a lot of very rude people on X-Box Live who didn't respect girls on MMO's. He didn't want to expose her to that.

* * *

Sweat dripped from his forehead and onto his wood floor. Yūji was doing push-ups, but this for was a bit different. His palms rested on the end of Kali Sticks, essentially hand standing with the sticks as he lifted himself with the sticks. It was a new exercise he came up with in order to improve his arm strength. Another oddity was the fact that he was holding 10-lb. weights by his toes.

"297...298...299...300," Yūji finished as he slowly lowered his body back to the floor. He went to his table and finished his orange juice. He scanned his books, "Done..." He really had nothing else to do since it was a weekend. "Might as well go out and explore," he suggested. Leaving his mess of books on the table, Yūji decided to head for the showers and clean up.

* * *

Kokoro decided to go and hang out with some friends, letting her big sister and her boyfriend enjoy their day together. She knew better than to get in their way. She just loved them so much and wanted them to have fun. The couple went to watch the movie together and Kotonoha enjoyed every minute of it. To be fair, Ryūji didn't think zombies were scary but Kotonoha sometimes got scared and clung to him, which was the main reason guys brought their girlfriends to horror movies. She still enjoyed a good scare from the movie as it was just make-believe. He put his arm around her protectively.

* * *

Yūji stopped off at the Radish for a bigger breakfast. He was already hungry again since the Pop-Tart didn't cut it.

"And welcome back," Sekai greeted.

"You must be pretty busy if you work on weekends too," Yūji commented.

"It's no problem, really," she dismissed, "Breakfast?"

"Please and thank you," Yūji smiled.

"Right this way," Sekai giggled. Yūji may have been associated associated with Hasuma, but he was a good guy and polite to girls. Maybe she could get Yūji to teach Makoto a thing or two.

* * *

Kotonoha and Ryūji sat through over an hour of the movie before getting bored. To pass the time, they took advantage of the darkness in the theatre and the noise made by the movie to make out without anyone noticing. They kissed passionately in their seats, lips and tongue coming into play.

_'At this rate we might end up in a love hotel before lunch,' _Ryūji thought. The girl who had been shy before had become quite daring, willing to make out in a public place.

Kotonoha was thinking, '_Oh...I want him! I want him so bad!_'

Once the movie ended, the couple left with the rest and left the theatre. Kotonoha giggled as she looked at her boyfriend. "What?" he asked.

"You have a piece of popcorn in your hair," she pointed as she picked it out and tossed it away.

"How did that get there?" he asked.

"Around the time we were necking," she said.

"What do you wanna do next?" Ryūji asked.

"I wouldn't mind stopping at the department store for some shopping," said Kotonoha. She was actually planning on getting something sexy she could wear to bed with Ryūji. Something that would make him ravish her. She knew he loved her, and that was what made it so much fun to tease him with sex. She never thought it'd be so much fun but the first time, and times after that had been wonderful.

"Sure," said Ryūji. "Come on, let's get on the bike and get there."

* * *

"So...you seem to get along well with..." Sekai hesitated, "Hasuma-san."

"Thing's have gotten a little better, in fact," Yūji smiled, "After we had that little tussle after school, I think we connected a little."

"You had a fight?-!" she gasped.

"No, no," he denied before pausing, "Well...sort of. What would you call sparring with sticks until most of them break?"

"So...you fought and you're friends?" Sekai asked, trying to wrap her head around the concept of Ryūji making friends when he spent most of his time not interacting with the rest of the student body, save for Kotonoha. "Actual friends?"

"No idea," Yūji shrugged, "I mean, I dunno how he treats actual friends, but Katsura and I seem to get along OK, at least. And Hasuma hasn't bitten my head off yet, so I'm guessing he doesn't consider me a threat anymore. Keep in mind that I'm just making assumptions. Who knows what goes on through that brain of his, right?"

"He's got a lot of anger," Sekai stated based on her own observation. "He beat up one of my classmates during the school festival last year."

"I'm sure he had a reason," Yūji defended, "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that beat you down for nothing."

Taisuke hadn't said anything about why Ryūji would have beaten him up so Sekai and Makoto never learnt about what he'd tried to do to Kotonoha. So, they thought the worst of him. However, they were confused and relieved that Ryūji hadn't gone after them like he had Taisuke.

"Still, he makes Katsura-san happy," said Sekai, sighing. "Good for her."

"Yeah, those two look so adorable together," Yūji mused, "Makes me kinda envious."

"You don't have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"Nope," Yūji denied, "Never. I guess I never really found the right one for me, you know? Of course, my mother and aunt have even encouraged that I even get more than one girlfriend if anything."

"You mean...like a harem?-!"

"I know," Yūji chuckled, "Crazy, right? Those two can be so in sync sometimes that it's scary!"

"You're serious," Sekai realized. Sure, most boys dreamed of harems. Anime and eroge made it look like something possible, but a dream no less. "You're absolutely serious."

"Sure am," grinned Yūji. "My family may be small, but we're all crazy in our own ways. But honestly...I don't know what I'd do if I did end up having a harem."

"Think you can handle more than one girl?"

"I won't know until I try. Oh, and trust me, I don't go into anything half-cocked!" He then realized what he'd just said. "Goddammit...Shin..."

"So, are you going to tell me what you bought?" Ryūji asked as he and Kotonoha sat on a bench on the department store's roof. Kotonoha was keeping her shopping bag close.

"It's a surprise," she said and then she whispered sultrily, "And you'll see it later tonight."

Now that piqued his interest. He wondered what it was but when Kotonoha heard that tone he knew it was going to be something good. "OK, I won't make you spoil the surprise."

'_Trust me. By the time you see it on me, it'd be spoiled over, and over, and over_,' Kotonoha thought slyly. "So, how about we go to a karaoke box?"

"Still kinda early," said Ryūji as he checked his watch. "How about the arcade?" He took out a 100 yen coin. "Or, do you want to flip on it? Heads, we go to the Karaoke Box. Tails, we go to the arcade."

"Sure, let's go with that," said Kotonoha. She really didn't like loud arcades but she was willing to tolerate them as long as she was with Ryūji. Ryūji tossed the coin into the air and caught it.

* * *

"I can't believe we're gonna be eating here," said Ryūji as he and Kotonoha entered the Radish for lunch. "Hey, how much would it take for me to convince you to wear one of those uniforms?"

"Not much," smiled Kotonoha. "Though, you'd have to do something for me as well."

"It'll be worth seeing you dressed like that." He then glanced at a table and blinked, "Now there's something new."

Kotonoha followed Ryūji's line of sight as she saw Sekai talking with someone. However, she recognized that hairstyle anywhere. "Fudō-san!"

Yūji looked back over his shoulder, smiling as he stood up to greet his classmates, "Well if it ain't my favorite couple! What are you two doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Ryūji as he folded his arms.

"Um, having breakfast?" he asked rhetorically.

"But Fudō-san," Kotonoha spoke up, "It's already noon."

"...What?"

"It's noon already, Baka," Ryūji repeated.

Yūji looked at his friends in disbelief before checking his watch, turning almost white as he realized it was indeed around noon. "Oh, damn, I am so sorry, Sekai," Yūji apologized deeply, "I didn't mean to waste your time!"

"That's alright," laughed Sekai. "It's my job to entertain the customers." She asked Kotonoha, "So, Katsura-san, how are you doing?"

"Since when do you care?" Ryūji remarked. "You didn't care when-OW!" Kotonoha had stomped his foot.

"I'm just on a date with Ryūji-kun," said Kotonoha pleasantly. She'd long forgiven Sekai. However, Ryūji didn't feel the same way.

Yūji looked between the couple and Sekai with a puzzled expression. _'Me thinks I'm missing something,'_ he thought to himself. He decided to speak up as he just got an idea, "So, since we're all here, why don't we all have lunch together? I'll pay."

"Oh, we really couldn't," began Kotonoha.

"Koto-chan, Fudō's offering. It'd be rude to refuse," said Ryūji . "If he wants to treat us to lunch, then we should let him." Now, Hasumas loved to eat. What made food more delicious was that if it was free.

"Guess food gets his attention," Yūji mused, with Sekai trying not to laugh.

"Just find yourselves a seat and I'll be back with the menus," Sekai beamed as she left. As much as she liked Kotonoha, just being close to Ryūji gave her unsettling chills.

"So, you're just here on your own, huh?" Ryūji asked as he and Kotonoha took their seats.

"Just checking out the town," Yūji said. "I've got nothing to do at home and if I stayed inside all day, I'd go more insane than I already am. I mean, only somebody crazy would think of fighting with six swords! In fact, I spent the morning exercising for just that purpose!"

"You don't know true insanity," Ryūji murmured.

"What?"

"It's nothing," said Ryūji. Back before he met Kotonoha he'd been vicious and violent, fighting for the sake of fighting. If that wasn't insanity, then what was? Well, there was his sister the psychotic sociopath.

"So you've never used six swords before?" Kotonoha asked.

"Never," Yūji answered proudly. "My Uncle Jack used to teach me how to use real swords. I know how to use one, but I always ended up breaking them, so my mom had me stop before things got dangerous."

"I can see how," said Kotonoha. "Swords are dangerous."

"And broken swords are even worse," Yūji added. He then changed the subject as he leaned in toward the two and grinned, "So, are my favorite lovebirds on a date?"

"Let me see...we're dating, we're going out together, what else could it be?" Ryuji questioned rhetorically.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud," Yūji shot back, "I can't have fun messing with my favorite people in this town? Just be glad _I'm_ here and not my brother."

"Just be glad your brother and my sister _never _meet," Ryūji stated

"Then we'll agree to disagree," Yūji compromised. "It's just that if Yuri were here and knew about you two, you wouldn't have any peace."

"What do you mean?" Kotonoha asked worriedly.

"Yuri has a nasty habit of annoying people to the point of insanity," Yūji elaborated, "So much so that if he tried hard enough, you'd put a bullet in your head just to stop hearing his voice."

"You're kidding, right?" Kotonoha asked. "He can't be that bad, can he?"

"Koto-chan, remember my sister?" Ryūji asked.

"Yes, I remember," said Kotonoha. "Oh."

"Yes, people can be that obnoxious if not more. Hell, if I did kill myself, my sister would figure out a way to bring me back just to annoy me to death," Ryūji sighed.

"Oh, Yuri's not obnoxious, by the way," Yūji spoke up, "He just has too much fun messing with people and doesn't know when to stop. The only people he's afraid of are my parents and our sister, Yuki. Anyway, talking about Yuri gives me a headache. Moving on, anything else interesting about your family, Hasuma?"

"My family comes from a long line of martial artists. My older brother, however, decided to become a veterinarian. My dad died and my mom's in fashion. You may not have heard of her. As for my sisters...one of them is OK. The other one, Kat, is completely nuts. I mean really, really nuts." explained Ryūji.

"Sounds like such a colorful family," Yūji mused.

"So will you really be helping the Kendo team?" Kotonoha spoke up.

"Busujima's good with it, and as a new student I might as well contribute," Yūji declared.

"Just be sure to work your ass off," Ryūji advised. "She doesn't like half-assed work."

"I don't half-ass anything," Yūji denied.

"You guys ready to order?" Sekai asked. "I didn't want to disturb you."

_"No problem,"_ Yūji accepted.

"Three plates of your best burger sets," Ryūji ordered. "What will you two be having?" he asked Kotonoha and Yūji.

* * *

"Soul Calibur?" Ryūji asked. "That's what you're playing? How about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III?"

"Played it; had enough of it," Yūji shrugged, "Plus online play gets boring after hearing idiots talking all day, killing new kids for no reason and slinging insults just for the hell of it. That's not what gaming is supposed to be for and people who abuse the use of online gameplay are just stupid and have no lives. I prefer fighting games for the complex combos and the kickass soundtracks. Plus the graphics for special moves are just so damn beautiful. Besides, I don't just play Soul Cal. I play DOA, MK, MvC and just about anything that can use a joystick. ...Goddamit," he sighed.

"I got those games myself. Maybe we could play online sometime," offered Ryūji.

"Do you play, Katsura?" Yūji asked.

"I don't," said Kotonoha.

"I've tried but she just isn't as interested in video games as I am," said Ryūji. "Though, I'm not a loser with no life who plays 24/7."

"Those are exactly the kind of people I can't stand!" Yūji exclaimed, "Finally, somebody gets me! They always think they know what they're doing and when they lose they cry and complain and just spout their bullshit! And there are people like that on the DN too!"

Kotonoha blinked, "DN?"

"The Dueling Network," Yūji explained, "Online play for Duel Monsters. People can make as many decks as they want and play with people from other countries."

"Let me guess, there are those inexperienced douchebags who try to win a match by forcing you to surrender by being the most irritating they can be," Ryūji assumed. "Total n00bs."

"Ha, and they all fall before me," Yūji assured, "Most of my decks reduce you to nothing by turn 5 and sometimes my opponents even surrender once I get my locks out."

"Sounds interesting," said Kotonoha. "So, Duel Monsters requires some strategy, right? My little sister actually likes to collect the cards."

"And my family even raised me on the game," Yūji added. "My dad and uncles all learned math and reading through the game since they were orphans."

"So, this is where he's settled in," a shadowed figure mused. His silhouette indicated that he was definitely male, with seven other feminine silhouettes standing at a distance behind him.

"It's been a while since I've seen Yū-chan," one of the women sultrily purred.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see Yū-kun again!" another girl cheered excitedly. "I wonder if he's gotten any stronger!"

"It'd only make sense if he did, Hakufu," a third girl remarked gruffly. "It's not like he has anything to gain by staying a weakling."

"You were just too hard on him last time," another girl calmly scolded.

"Hmph."

"What do you think, Kako?" the male of the group asked.

"..." 'Kako' decided to remain silent, but her silence spoke volumes to the man.

"Yes, I hope so too," he agreed.

"I still don't see why Yūji-san came here," another girl spoke up.

"My guess is that he wanted to get away from the big city and put as much distance as he could between him and his big brother," the last girl remarked.

"What? The classrooms were in bad condition," the male tried to reason, "So I gave the school a reason to get them renovated."

"By blowing up the classrooms?" she countered.

"I was bored," he defended. "Now then, time to say hello to my dear, Little Brother. Hehe...Hahahaha! HA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"There he goes again," the seventh girl sighed.

"He's just happy to meet up with Yū-chan again," Hakufu beamed.

"Shows what you know."

"Now, now Ryo-chan," the man chided as he hugged the girl from behind. "There's no need to be so angry all the time." He then grinned as he reached around and grabbed a handful of breast...

* * *

"Wait, they learnt how to do math and read from a card game?" Ryūji asked to clarify details.

"It wasn't like they had much of a choice," shrugged Yūji. "Circumstances and all."

It was then that an object came screeching down at an angle, crashing through one of the windows of the Radish and destroying tables, alarming the patrons and waitresses as they tried to figure out what just happened.

"The fuck was that?-!" Ryūji gawked.

A figure was emerging from the pile of damaged tables and chairs. "Shit...Ryo-chan still has that dull sense of humor..."

"Oh, fuck me," Yūji paled.

His ears picked up Yūji's dread and chuckled, "I wonder what's wrong...Little Brother?" The man walked into the light as he revealed himself to the public. Ryūji and Kotonoha were definitely surprised by who it was they were facing. It was like a reverse reflection of Yūji; for this man's hair was pure white with streaks of black as opposed to Yūji's red streaks. His skin was a little darker, his eyes were red, and a scar was over his left eye. His attire consisted of black tattered jeans with a hole on the right knee, a dull red t-shirt and a dark brown jean jacket with a torn and frilled collar and a piercing on his left earlobe. He also wore a pair of black combat boots and a set of pistols strapped into holsters that were strapped to his legs.

"I'm guessing this is your psychotic brother," assumed Ryūji, his eyes narrowed. He pulled Kotonoha close to him in a protective manner.

"What...the fuck...are you doing here, Yuri?!" Yūji demanded.

"What? Family can't visit anymore?" Yuri sneered. "Is my Little Brother too busy to be with me? Oh, how cold you've become," he whined.

"People would normally call first," Ryūji remarked.

"Hehe, I'm anything _but _normal," he retorted.

"I can see that. And you and my sister would get along like a house on fire while setting said house on fire," Ryūji added.

"A sister, huh?" Yuri mused. "Now that is interesting~"

"Sorry, but she plays on the same team if you catch my drift," Ryūji informed him.

"Damn, and just when I was getting such wonderful ideas," he chuckled.

"Hasuma Ryūji, and this is my girl, Katsura Kotonoha."

"Yoroshiku," greeted Kotonoha.

"I cannot believe you guys are associating yourselves with this asshole!" Yūji exclaimed.

"And I've been called worse, Little Brother," Yuri retorted.

"You haven't met my sister, and in the past I've hung out with the worst of worst including my own sister," Ryūji said to Yūji.

"And after meeting Kat-san, I've grown used to people with extreme personalities," added Kotonoha.

"And my sister is as extreme as they come," Ryūji agreed.

"Goddammit, this always happens," Yūji groaned. "He acts friendly when he first meets you and then he's all over you like white on rice. This can't get any better..."

"YUUUUUUUJIIIIII!"

Yūji turned and was tackled by a strawberry-blond girl, crashing into a table as she captured him in a bone-crunching hug. She was wearing a school uniform that Ryūji and Kotonoha didn't recognize.

"Hakufu...dying," Yūji rasped. "Life...fading...!"

The girl known as Hakufu was pulled off by another girl behind her. Her hair was blue and short, a single green eye shown as her left eye was covered by an eye patch. The weird part was that she was dressed in a blue, French Maid outfit and wore blue gloves and matching shin-high boots.

"That's enough, Hakufu," she ordered, "You always come close to killing the poor kid whenever you see him after a while.

"But I can't help it, Ryo-chan," Hakufu whined.

"Yeah, and Yūji just makes things so easy that you can't help but tease him," another girl purred. Her skin was dark, with light green eyes and green hair tied back in two puffs. Her skin was tanned and she sported a good cleavage that struggled for freedom behind her red jacket.

Yūji paled at the sight of the girl, crawling back in order to get away. "Fuck me...!"

"Well, if you insist~" she grinned as she inched closer before being stopped by another girl from behind. "Kan'u..."

Kan'u was another dark-skinned female in a sailor uniform that showed off much of her midriff and underside of her breasts. Her eyes were blue and her super-long hair was dark with a violet tint to it. "Leave him alone, for now," she requested, "He's in pain."

"Fine," the greenette huffed.

Yūji was helped up by a new woman. Her hair was long and silver, her skin almost pale as snow while she kept her eyes closed. She had worn a different school uniform compared to the others and a katana was in her hands.

"I hope you'll be alright, Fudō-kun," she prayed. "I know Hakufu can never control her strength when she's so elated.

"It's fine, Chō'un-san," Yūji dismissed.

"Yeah, Hakufu can be a brute sometimes," another girl jabbed. Her hair was short and reddish brown and her green eyes had a shine to them. She was wearing a uniform like the greenette's but having an actual shirt underneath.

"Hey, I'm no ruffian, Chin-chan!" Hakufu denied.

"You wanna fight every person we meet!" she added.

"Ladies, ladies," Yuri dismissed as he slung his arms over their shoulders. "No need to argue. Hakufu like to play rough and Chinkyū likes it rough, so let's leave it at that or else I'll have to leave your fates in Kako's hands."

The girls looked to the back where they came in and saw their companion; a fair-skinned girl with long, black hair that was slicked back with two ahoge sticking out and green eyes. She wore a simple white Chinese dress with gloves and boots. She looked to the girls and silently gave a faint smile, making Chinkyū and Hakufu pale and quiet down.

Ryūji analyzed the situation. Despite his appearance, he was not a brainless and uneducated delinquent. "One guy with an entourage of girls. You're a player!"

"You can say that," Yuri shrugged with a smirk, "I simply have a big and loving heart."

"Excuse me!" a woman came upon the group, looking stern. This was Sekai's mother, Saionji Yōko, and she looked cross. "You just wrecked half my dining room, shattered my window and chased away my customers! How are you going to pay for this?" The waitresses stood behind her for support.

"We'll leave you to settle this," said Ryūji as he left money on the table. "Come on, Koto-chan."

"It was nice to meet you all," said Kotonoha. "Sorry, Saionji-san."

Sekai watched as Ryūji and Kotonoha left to avoid being implicated. A smart move.

"This is still your fault for punching me, Ryo," Yuri shot.

"And you're the one who wanted to cop a free feel," she hissed.

Yuri sighed as he looked around, doing calculations in his noggin before taking out a checkbook and did some writing. Tearing out a check, he handed it to Yōko and smiled, "I hope this covers everything, ma'am." Yōko took the check, with Sekai reading over her shoulder, before they both gawked. It was a check for 100,000,000 yen. Yuri smiled innocently, making his younger brother scowl, "Would that be enough to cover the damages, ladies?"

"Is this legit? It's not some prank? It won't bounce, right?" Yōko questioned.

Yūji sighed before explaining, "We have special accounts that we can use for emergencies. It especially comes in handy when Yuri pulls off stupid shit like this. In fact, this is the exact, primary purpose our accounts were opened up for. That and life stuff."

"In a word, yes," Yuri nodded, "It's totally legit, so you have nothing to worry about, my dears."

"I'm outta here," Yūji groaned as he started leaving the restaurant. "I'll see you at school, Sekai."

"Yeah...bye," Sekai replied sadly as she watched Yūji leave.

"Look what you did, Yuri," Hakufu scolded. "You scared Yūji off again!"

"Oh, he'll be fine," Yuri dismissed, "He's always been pouty."

* * *

"That was interesting," said Ryūji as he and Kotonoha entered the house together. "With that guy as his brother, I can understand why he left home."

"You do? But you seemed like you enjoyed having him around," stated Kotonoha.

"A little chaos helps to make life more interesting," Ryūji quoted. "That's what my sister always says. I just hope they never meet. A guy like that with a girl like her could raze this town to the ground."

"Since I've met your sister, I know you're not exaggerating."

"Crazy is dangerous; crazy with power and resources is apocalyptic," Ryūji said. "That's my sister is a nutshell."

* * *

It was the beginning of the week, bright and early, as students were making their way into their classes.

"So, you play COD, right, Ashikaga-kun?" asked Kyouchi Kasannoin, Yūki's classmate and a friend he looked up to. "How was it?"

Yūki frowned, "I tried, but each time I respawned some jerk kept blowing me away with a rocket launcher."

* * *

"And so I blew this n00b up each time he respawned with a rocket launcher," Ryūji bragged to Kotonoha. "He never knew I was coming."

"That doesn't sound very nice," said Kotonoha.

"It's COD. You don't become pro by being nice," he retorted. Ryūji and Kotonoha were in class when the couple spotted Yūji coming into class.

"Good morning, Fudō-san," Kotonoha greeted.

Yūji dropped into his seat, groaning as he repeatedly slammed his forehead on the desk.

"Rough night?" Ryuji inquired.

"Couldn't sleep, knowing that Yuri could be doing anything and everything to cause trouble," Yūji groaned.

"Well, the city's still standing," Ryūji pointed out.

"Maybe you should give your brother a chance," suggested Kotonoha. "Maybe he came for a friendly visit."

"Oh, you don't know him like I do," argued Yūji. "He's plotting something."

"Isn't the word you're looking for 'scheming'?" Ryūji suggested.

"Same shit," Yūji shrugged, "Besides, wide-scale destruction isn't his MO. He specializes in small-scale damage and lets it accumulate. Yuri once compared chaos and destruction to baking a souffle."

Ryūji cocked an eyebrow, "A souffle? How is chaos and destruction like a souffle?"

"He said _'You gotta give it time to cook, bake with low heat till it comes out perfect,'_" Yūji quoted. "Basically, the perfect souffle that takes time to properly bake is chaos that engulfs the land in his eyes. Mind you, he doesn't even use any form of Chaos Decks!"

"Does...does he know how to bake?" Kotonoha asked.

"Yeah, actually," Yūji nodded, "He bakes only when he's not out causing mayhem. And yes, he can bake pretty much anything."

"Bread? Cakes? All that stuff?" Ryūji inquired. Yūji nodded.

The PA system then came on and as announcement came out, "_All students, please head towards the auditorium for an assembly_."

"Wonder what's up," Ryūji mused.

"It must be important," Kotonoha supported.

"Least it's in the morning so some classes can get cancelled," Yūji grinned.

* * *

"Oh no...Oh no..." Ryūji paled as he saw who was on the auditorium's stage. She was a slender female in her early twenties, with cat-like eyes that were red. Her black hair was long but tied up in a ponytail with a black bow ribbon. Her bangs framed her face. Her attire consisted of a black tank top with a track suit jacket and matching pants with trainers.

"Hi, I'm Kat Hasuma-Wilson, and I'll be your new PE teacher," she said.

"Wilson... Hey, she wouldn't be one of those sisters you were talkin'bout, would she?" Yūji yawned as he was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Ryūji gave Yūji a look. "Unfortunately...she is."

"Maybe it won't be that bad," said Kotonoha who was next to her boyfriend.

"You've met my sister, remember?" Ryūji reminded.

"Oh...yes...We should be worried, right?" Kotonoha asked.

"If she's teaching gym, I pray for all the unlucky bastards she's going to be teaching, which includes us," Ryūji shuddered.

"Maybe she's changed?" Kotonoha said uncertainly.

"Why would she change when she enjoys being a complete nut?" Ryūji asked.

Kotonoha advised, "You should have more faith in family." She looked to Yūji, "You too. Your brother came to visit and you treated him like the plague."

"I would not be surprised if he's the reincarnation of the Black Death," Yūji remarked. "...Well, there is that nickname of his that he uses for almost everything."

"What's that?" Ryūji asked.

"D-Reaper," Yūji answered.

* * *

For the entire day, while in school, Ryūji had to constantly look over his shoulder for his sister's presence. Having her around in school did not make him feel comfortable. She was a maelstrom of random chaos. The fact was that the motivation behind her bizarre actions was because she was bored and needed a way to entertain herself. If it meant messing with Ryūji, she would do just that.

Oddly enough, his older sister didn't appear in front of him since the assembly. That worried him more. She was probably scheming to do something big. Thus, to be prepared, Ryūji needed to be ready for what was to come. Unfortunately, being ready for Kat was nearly impossible. She was just too unpredictable.

* * *

Classes were over and Yūji was practicing with Saeko while Ryūji and Kotonoha watched. Saeko was helping Yūji perfect his 6-sword-wielding style. Saeko was also growing accustomed to Yūji's bizarre sword style. He had created it when he transferred in, testing what worked and what didn't. It was literally born out of nothing and yet Yūji had displayed good control. He had mentioned he was training at home as well, devising new techniques and testing them out on Saeko or Ryūji.

Somehow, Ryūji had developed a habit of coming to the Kendo Team's dojo, watching Yūji and Saeko spar. He would normally wait for Kotonoha as soon as class was over for the day. But watching this new style grow had gained his interest and he had wanted to see how far it could grow.

"OK, time to try out a new little somethin' I've been thinking of," Yūji grinned. Gripping his claws, Yūji dashed ahead and jerked his wrists down, releasing his outer swords and slammed his other swords down on the floor, essentially hand standing on them as he had caught the released swords between his index and middle toes and started swinging. This caught Saeko off guard, yet again, as she was forced to defend. Yūji was swinging swords with his feet now like arms while he was trying to balance his upper body with his stilt-like swords.

'_Now that's interesting_,' thought Ryūji.

"It's is, isn't it?" A familiar voice whispered into his ear causing him to jump and whirl around to look at his sister.

"Kat-nee!" Ryuji yelled out. "What the hell!-?"

"Can't a big sister greet her little bro?" she teased as she put him in a headlock and gave him a noogie. "You didn't come to see me so I decided to come and see you instead!"

"Leggo...fuck, that hurts...!" Ryūji whined.

Kat grinned at Kotonoha. "Hi, Kotonoha-chan!"

"Kon'nichiwa, Kat-san," Kotonoha greeted, staring at how Kat was choking Ryūji. "Shouldn't you let him go?"

"Just showing my affections!" Kat smiled.

"You're suffocating me, you psycho!" Ryūji snapped. Kat released him. "Can't you greet people like a normal person?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Ryūji rolled his eyes in response.

"Kat-san, have you ever seen anyone use six swords at once like Fudō-san is right now?" she asked.

"Not unless they had six arms," Kat shrugged.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life. Ryūji-kun showed me that fighting is part of life, but every style is so unique; and Fudō-san has reminded me how unique everyone can be," Kotonoha admired. "I wish...I could wield some kind of weapon that would suit me. I wouldn't use it, of course, but learning may be a pleasant experience for me."

Kat grinned and Ryūji caught the look she had.

"Well, my brother told me you used a dozuki once on your first date with him," Kat stated.

"Ah, only for self-defence!" Kotonoha replied.

Yūji grinned as he jumped to stand and gain some extra height, the swords held by his feet supporting him like stilts, as he grinned, _"OK, time to finish!"_ He pushed off with his leg strength, kicking off into the air as he flipped through the air. He reached the ceiling, surprising the spectators and Saeko as he kicked off the ceiling and started flipping, keeping his arms stretched out. _**"DRAGON DIVE!"**_ A surging flare of lightning-blue aura engulfed Yūji's body as he came flying down.

Saeko saw the attack coming and swung up vertically as she blocked the sword strikes made by Yūji's feet. "Can't do anything better?" she challenged.

Yūji grinned, "Did you forget I've got my hands free?" Her eyes widened and he was about to attack when he lost his balance, wobbling as he fell on top of Saeko and the two crashing with a loud thud.

Kotonoha gasped and blushed out of embarrassment, with Kat grinning perversely as Ryūji groaning as they saw the position they were in. Yūji had fallen on top of Saeko, with the kendoka underneath as both of their crotches were in each other's faces.

_"SHIT!"_ Yūji gaped as he climbed off of Saeko, a bright blush coloring her face as he helped her up. "I swear, that is not what I intended," he tried to persuade, "I had no idea that was gonna happen! My balance must've given out on me... Damn, this is embarrassing...!"

"My, isn't this is a surprise!"

All eyes were on the entrance as Yuri and the girls had entered, a perverse grin on Yuri's face as he eyed his brother and Saeko.

"Finally found yourself a mate there, Little Brother?" he teased.

"Shut up, Yuri!" Yūji roared. "And what the fuck are you doing here!?"

The white-haired Fudō snickered, "What, family can't say hello?"

"Hi, Yūji!" Hakufu waved.

"Didn't you miss us~?" Ryōfu teased.

"And you knock it off!" Yūji snapped before returning to Hakufu's greeting, "And hi, Hakufu. Now would you beat it, Yuri!? I'm in the middle of training!"

"Looks to me like you were in the middle of something _completely_ different," Yuri snickered.

"Screw you, asshole!" Yūji snapped as he pointed his 'claws' at his brother. "How about I prove it to you with my new style?! Unless you're chicken shit!"

"Sounds like a challenge," Yuri grinned as he rubbed his hands together.

"If you want to fight your brother this badly, Fudō-kun," Saeko spoke up, "Then I'll allow it." She walked to the side lines as Yuri walked past her, grinning to himself before facing off with his little brother.

"You must forgive Yuri," Chō'un apologized, "He's just happy to see Yūji-kun after being away with us for a while."

"There's no problem," Saeko dismissed with a smile, "This is the best place for them to settle any grudges." She faced the arena and called out, "Ready!"

"Always!" Yuri answered gleefully as he reached behind his back and revealed a pair of long scythes out of nowhere, holding each single-handed.

Now, most people who saw someone take out weapons out of thin air would be curious, even shocked, but Ryūji, Kat and Kotonoha were not fazed by the sight. However, the Hasumas couldn't help but admire Yuri's choice of weapons. Scythes, like those of the Grim Reaper, the physical embodiment of death. Scythes were like the symbol of death and Kat grinned.

Saeko cocked an eyebrow in interest at Yuri's choice of armaments. They were not regulation weapons, and not something one would normally bring into a fight. However, what was exactly considered regulation and normal about one's preferences. Ryūji wielded a pair of scimitars with blades made of ice, something which she was still curious about, but he was not about to divulge anything about his weapons so she doubted that Yuri would do the same. And Yūji could wield six bokken simultaneously. Still, this was a fight and both Fudo brothers needed to settle some issues.

"Hajime!" Saeko declared.

Yuri laughed as he dashed forward, surprising the spectators as he started swing his scythes. Yūji countered with his swords, blocking his brother by hitting the shafts of his weapons to avoid the great blades.

"So, is anyone taking bets?" Kat questioned.

"Kat-nee, you're a teacher now," Ryūji told her.

"Since when did you turn into a party-pooper?" Kat frowned. "Besides, I'd bet you 5,000 yen the crazy one wins."

"I am not going to..."

"10,000 yen," she raised.

"You will not...tempt me..." Ryūji growled as his left eyebrow twitched.

"YAAH-HAAA!" Yuri laughed as he was twirling his scythes, spinning them like deadly buzzsaws. The blades cut grooves into the floor as they spun before Yuri tossed a spinning scythe at his brother, with Yūji jumping to dodge as the scythe returned to its master like a boomerang. "Not bad," he grinned as he glanced up to see Yūji coming back down, his wooden swords sparking with electricity.

_**"PHANTOM DIVE!" **_Yūji roared as he swung his right-hand swords down on Yuri.

The older brother crossed the shafts of his scythes to defend, holding them up. "Good...getting better, in fact," Yuri grinned.

Ryūji saw his sister with an iPhone and pointing its camera at the fight. "Are you seriously recording this?"

_"Yup,"_ she answered. "This is so gonna go on YouTube."

"You won't get money from that," he told her.

"Not everything I do is about money. I'm not a whore," she retorted.

"You're just a sociopath-mercenary," he deadpanned.

"And damn proud of it," she grinned.

Kotonoha's eyes were transfixed on the fight, making her speechless.

_"IT'S NOT OVER YET!"_ Yūji roared as he still had his left arm free. He reared it back, the swords covered in his lightning-like aura before swinging back down on Yuri. _**"DRAGON WING!"**_ And he swung down on Yuri's defense, now coming at him with all six of his swords.

"HAHAHAHA! PERFECT!" Yuri laughed. However, he was still holding his ground as the wooden swords broke from the force being out on them. "Oops," he grinned.

Yūji roared as he reared his head back and came swinging back, headbutting his brother square in the forehead as both brothers crashed onto the floor with their weapons scattered.

"That was so cool!" Hakufu beamed.

"He really has gotten better," Ryomō acknowledged.

"Six swords," Chou'un mused with a small smile, "It's something that's not seen in these times."

"Well, you _have_ gotten better," Yuri grinned as he lied on his back. "You win this round, Little Brother."

Yūji rose and pulled his brother up. "Thanks for helping me work off some steam, so I better go."

"You know, watching you fight, I think I want in on this action," said Ryūji as he strode forward. Kat tugged him back.

"Get in line," Kat ordered.

"You wanna fight, then talk to Yuri," Yūji sighed. "I'm tired." He started walking and grabbed his bag. "Later guys," he waved lazily as he left the dojo.

"And Ryūji-kun and I need to get home soon. It's getting late and I need to prepare dinner," said Kotonoha.

"Oh, right," Ryūji nodded. "And we can't leave Kokoro-chan alone for too long, can we?"

"Can I come along?" Kat requested.

Ryūji knew he couldn't get rid of his sister and sighed. "Fine..."

"I'll wait for you outside then," Kotonoha smiled as she left the dojo.

"Oh, and here's some money," said Kat as she handed Ryūji a huge stack of bills tied together by a rubber band.

"This is a lot," said Ryūji as he counted the cash.

"I know, but you're family. Plus you deserve it."

Ryūji gave his sister a suspicious look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know those underground races you love so much? Guess who tipped the cops off?" She pointed her thumbs at herself and grinned.

Ryūji glared at his sister and pointed, "That was you!?"

"Yeah, and I swiped the money! By the way, I took half, but I think that's enough for you," said Kat.

Ryūji shook his head. "You know what? I'm not even gonna ask because this...this doesn't surprise me."

"Oh, and I even brought wine," Kat said, smiling.

"Is it the good kind or the cheap kind?" Ryūji asked.

"You know me, Otouto. I got standards. It's the good kind, the sweet kind, the kind that I stole from Slade-sama's liquor cabinet," said Kat.

* * *

Kotonoha was tipsy after just a couple of glasses. Kat and Ryūji, however, could hold their liquor.

"You know, this is the reason why I don't let you spend time with Koto-chan. You're a bad influence on her," Ryūji scolded.

"And you're not?" Kat retorted.

"I'm not. I'm helping her build up her confidence," Ryūji responded. "By the way, what made you want to take up a job here? I mean won't that cut into your time with Rose?"

"...I don't wanna talk about it," Kat frowned before downing a glass of wine and then filling it up again.

"Really?" Ryūji asked. He looked at the bottle. He knew how to loosen his sister's lips.

* * *

_"Goddamn,"_ Yūji sighed dejectedly as he landed in his bed. Today had been the most exhausting he's had since coming to Sakakino. And it was because of Yuri, like everything else. He was getting sick of his older brother's antics, and had his swords not broken then he would have finally triumphed over Yuri. Now he just wanted to rest before getting to his homework.

*DING-DONG*

OK, maybe get some rest _after_ answering the door. Yūji climbed off his bed and made his way to the door, opening it to see who it was. _"Yeah?"_

Standing before him was a young woman with long white hair with a lock covering her right eye; the left one being blue. She wore a black turtleneck with a brown jacket and denim skirt. Holding her hand was a little girl, measuring almost up to the girl's waist and she had pointed ears and rainbow-colored hair and eyes. She was dressed in a black t-shirt with a cat's skull on the front and a pleated skirt with alternating white and red colors. This definitely caught his attention, but not as much as the rainbow-colored furry tail that swished around behind her.

"Fudō Yūji-san?" the white-haired girl assumed.

"Yeah...?" Yūji hesitated.

"I'm Rose Wilson, and this is my daughter Cathy," she introduced.

"Hi~!" Cathy beamed.

"We were wondering if you may have come into contact with a Kat Hasuma recently?" Rose inquired.

"Hasuma... You mean Hasuma's sister?" Yūji inquired.

_"You were right, Mommy!"_ Cathy cheered, _"Mama's here!"_

_"I thought as much,"_ Rose smiled before turning back to Yūji, "I don't mean to be a bother, Fudō-san, but may we come in?"

_"No problem,"_ Yūji accepted, "Come on in."

_"Oh, you speak English then,"_ she smiled as the two walked in. _"Good, then things should be easier."_

Yūji had guided them into his living room, the girls taking a seat on the black couch while Yūji sat in his recliner. _"So, you two know Hasuma's sister?"_

_"We're married, actually, and Cathy's our adopted daughter,"_ Rose explained

_"So what happened? Did your kitty run away from home?"_ Yūji joked.

_"Well, you could say that,"_ she frowned sadly, _"You see...we had an argument."_

"Ah..." Yūji felt the need to kick himself, fearing he just opened a wound he wasn't supposed to.

_"Cathy had gotten in trouble in school, fighting with one of her classmates, and Kat didn't want to punish her but encouraged her instead; saying the girl deserved it instead,"_ she continued, _"We said some...hurtful things...and then Kat left."_

_"Cathy," _Yūji called as he looked to the girl, _"Mind telling me what happened?"_

_"Well, one of the girls at school was making fun of me; calling me a freak and stuff,"_ Cathy frowned, _"I tried ignoring her, but then she started hitting me and Mama told me I should fight back if someone hurt me. We fought some more before we got called into the Principal's office and they called in Mama and Mommy."_

_"It was self-defence then,"_ Yūji understood, _"So what's wrong with that?"_

_"Cathy?"_ Rose prompted.

"_I...bit her_," Cathy admitted. "_There was a lot of blood too. I also used some of the moves Mama taught me_. _I broke her arm_."

Yūji blinked, _"OK...that...was probably just a tad over the top. But hey, at least you fought back. Only problem I see is that you need to learn how to __**hold **__back."_

_"I told her that, but Kat didn't see a problem. She said that if Cathy showed that she shouldn't be messed with by showing people what she was capable of, other kids wouldn't try to bully her,"_ Rose stated.

_"The way I see it, she could've just used a straight punch,"_ Yūji shrugged, _"That's what my uncles taught me; 'A well-placed straight punch to the face knocks the guy out and puts the fear of God into everyone else.' Cathy just needs to learn how to hold back and everything should be fine. So, any idea where Kat could be?"_

_"No, and I don't think I'm ready to face her yet after fighting like we did," _Rose started to sob, _"I...I'm trying to raise our daughter too, and I don't want her biting people...for the rest of her life and wind up in some kind of prison...!"_

_"Mommy..."_ Cathy whined as she started to sob as well.

_"Aw, man..."_ Yūji worried as he tried to placate the girls, _"Hey, hey, come on. Just relax. Everyone fights, right? So just take it easy and take your time if you're not ready."_

"Thank you, Fudō-san," Rose sniffled. "Um, this may be awkward, but could you not tell Kat we're here? She doesn't know we came here and she's not exactly fond of men. If she were to misunderstand, she may very well attack you."

_"No problem,"_ Yūji nodded, "I can keep my mouth shut." He blinked and thought, _'Why do I get the feeling I just shot myself in the foot...?'_

"Can we spend the night here?" Cathy asked. "We don't have anywhere else to go right now."

"Cathy, we can't," Rosa argued, "We'd be a burden on Fudō-san."

"But we don't have anywhere else to stay here, and I don't wanna sleep in some hotel," Cathy shot back.

Yūji couldn't help but chuckle at the girls' bickering. Rose seemed young to be a mother, so it looked like he was watching a pair of sisters bickering between themselves. _"OK, OK, _you two can stay here," he offered.

"Really?! We can stay?!" Cathy beamed.

_"No problem,"_ Yūji boasted, "I've got a spare room and fresh clothes you can sleep in. I'm so lazy that I haven't even finished unpacking." He was then glomped by Cathy as she headbutted him in the stomach.

"Thank you!" Cathy praised.

_'I think my lung just jumped up to my esophagus,'_ Yūji groaned, _'Or is that my liver I'm tasting...?'_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

**KRB: OK, here's another one. Pretty self-explanatory. Sorry it took so long to upload.**


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